Unexpected Places
by emptyonideas
Summary: I never planned on anyone actually looking for me. I never planned on anyone finding out my secret. And I certainly never planned on meeting Griffin. Based on the movie JUMPER.
1. Chapter 1

_So this is really short, but it's just the prologue. I noticed there were barely any Jumper stories on here, so here we go. :) Obviously, this is based on the Jumper movie, to which I have no copyright over.  
_

* * *

It happened when I was eight years old.

One minute, I'm on the playground getting kicked around by Chase Samuels, the next I'm in the cafeteria, sprawled out underneath the table. Luckily for me, the students were not in there, so I only had to mumble an excuse to the lunch lady who had seen me, and run from the room as quick as my feet would carry me.

I tried to push it out my mind, write it off as a strange inexplicable phenomenon that was only a one time thing.

But then it happened again.

This time I was ten. Lucy Maris, my best friend, had just left me entirely alone at the lunch table, writing me off as 'uncool' and convincing everybody else that I was too. To a growing girl, that was about as emotionally crippling as anything in the entire world.

One minute I'm there, the next I'm in the bathroom, tears safely hidden through stall walls.

This time I couldn't push it away. It was all too easy to blame the first one on the tricks of my mind, but this time was entirely different. I had felt it happening. I had concentrated so hard on wishing that I was anywhere else, preferably somewhere hidden, and then it happened.

From then on, I worked on controlling it. I realized that I had a powerful, but unusual gift, and I couldn't tell anyone.

I jumped from room to room in my house when nobody was home to see. I jumped from the bathroom on the third floor to the first when I wanted to get home quicker. I jumped from store to store in the mall, hiding in dressing rooms until walking out, sure that no one would see.

And then my goals grew bigger.

When my mother was at work, I would jump to New York City. I would eat a pretzel from a street vendor, browse through bookstores, and catch the occasional subway ride or two, just to maintain a sense of normalcy.

I then began to jump to our vacation spot in Florida, taking quick swims in dolphin coves and checking out exhibits at the aquariums. (I eventually had to stop going there when people questioned my tan in the middle of Winter.)

It was hard not to talk about my journeys when they became such a huge part of my life. Half the time, I would catch myself telling a story and have to stop altogether because I wouldn't be able to explain how I got there.

The huge secret that I wanted so badly to share with everyone weighed on my mind. It was the constant piercing in the back of my head, the uncomfortable tense silence in every conversation.

And one day, it completely left my mouth.

Let's just say that telling my mother was not a good idea.

I figured maybe she would be shocked for a few days, but then accept it and help me.

I figured wrong.

The only thing telling her got me was a ticket to a boarding school and a prescription for crazy pills. (For my mother, of course, who was considerably freaked out by my demonstration.)

Boarding school was just as bad as public school. I wasn't an outcast, but I certainly didn't fit in. My parents weren't rich like all the kids, they just didn't want me at home. So I scraped by and managed to keep a low radar until I graduated.

And that brings me to the present.

Realizing that I would rather be homeless than actually **go** home, I did what any logical person would do- I traveled the world, stealing only enough money as I needed. I would never over indulge myself, but rather live as moderately and impulsively as possible.

I wanted to see places, to live my life in peace, and not get too attached to anything.

I never planned on anyone actually looking for me. I never planned on anyone finding out my secret.

And I certainly never planned on meeting Griffin.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate all of them. Hope you guys like this one. :) _

* * *

New York City was the perfect place for me. Past the point where the crowds made it difficult to jump there, it was ideal for blending in. No one passing me on the street knew that I hadn't talked to my mother for two months. No one passing me on the street knew that I could be in Italy at the drop of a hat. No one passing me on the street would know that I didn't have a stable address.

I took another sip of my bottle of water and flipped a page in my book. The bench I was sitting on was starting to grow uncomfortable, so I found my mind drifting to where I would jump next.

London? It was raining this morning when I left, so maybe I'll try somewhere else. Buffalo? It'd probably be snowing there this time of year, but that always reminded me of being a kid, and lately all that did was make me sad.

Ireland. Although my mom didn't want anything to do with me, my aunt Eileen loved me like I was her own child. I didn't take the chances of telling her that I could jump, but I did tell her that I was living in Ireland now so my random visits would not be questioned. She was the only sense of stability I had in my entire life, and I could use some of that right now.

Tucking my book in my pocket, I was soon no longer looking at the trees in Central Park, but the rolling hills of Ireland. I always liked to jump here first, because it was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen.

I took a deep breath and let my eyes wander over the vast amounts of green that covered the rocky landscape, wildflowers dotting the grass. The sky was blue, the clouds were scarce, and there was...two men walking towards me?

I furrowed my eyebrows as they drew closer.

"Wha-"

My questioned was drowned out immediately by something shooting towards me, and I immediately fell to the ground.

Electricity was running through every inch of my body, causing it to shake with tremors. I'd never felt like this in my entire life- I literally felt each pulse from my feet to my fingertips, and it was excruciating.

I was trying to jump, but it wasn't working. My brain felt like it was on the verge of exploding as I clawed the ground and tried to move, without avail.

"What do you want?" I managed to cry as the feeling diminished only slightly and I tried to look at the two men.

They didn't answer, but I took the opportunity to try and jump again.

I managed to move this time, but it was only a few feet from where I started, and the men came at me again.

This time, I braced myself, but that didn't make the feeling any better. My nerves were jostled, my brain was wavering, and I could barely make out coherent thoughts as I writhed on the ground.

I just wanted it to **stop**.

My vision was blurring. The colors were all bleeding together, the green grass swirling into the patches of dirt and the sky melting into the ground.

"Stop," I managed to breathe out.

The pain didn't desist though. I didn't know how long it had been, but I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside out.

And suddenly it stopped.

I still felt like my insides were pulsing, but the new waves of pain were no longer hitting me. I tried to lie still and take a look around, but my vision was still refocusing and the most I could do was try and calm down.

And then I became aware that someone else was here. Someone was distracting the men that were close to killing me.

I tried to get to my feet, but only fell to the ground in defeat. I staggered and took a few deep breaths before trying again, only to settle back down on my knees.

I looked up through my damp hair and kept myself grounded this time, wondering who my savior was.

He seemed to be pretty skilled with this, as if he had done it before. I noticed with a shock that he was jumping too- nearly every few seconds to be rid of the men that kept throwing attacks his way.

He never got caught in one of the electrifying weapons that I had, he was far too fast and smart to let them do that. I barely caught glimpses of him before he was somewhere else, trying to catch one of the men off guard and get a good hit in.

Finally, he managed to grab one of their weapons, after a huge and long struggle, and wrapped them both in it, leaving a tangled mess of limbs on the ground.

I watched in morbid fascination as the weapon was used against its masters, the electricity forcing them to shake on the ground like I had been moments before. I would have had some compassion if the dizzying feeling was gone, but I still felt the same gut wrenching, mind racing feeling.

Just as the two men were defeated, I saw the mysterious boy pause for a moment, finally looking over to me.

"Wh-What was that?" I managed to croak, throat suddenly extremely dry.

"That was your worst nightmare," he said, rolling his eyes.

I noticed he had an accent, and it would have made me curious if I didn't get a distinctly rude attitude coming from him.

"No, really. Thank you, I wouldn't have-"

"I didn't do it for you," he said, cutting me off.

I felt myself frown at his harshness, but reminded myself that he _had_ just saved my life after all.

"Still...I'd probably be dead right now," I protested.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess that's my good deed for the year," he said sarcastically.

"But what are those guys?" I pushed.

It's not everyday you get attacked and nearly electrocuted to death.

"Listen, Barbie, I'm not a kindergarten teacher. And I've got places to be."

I staggered to my feet with a desperate look before he jumped from his spot.

And I don't know if the electricity was still messing with my mind, but I found myself following him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you, once again, for all the feedback. It really gives me inspiration to update, so here we go. ;)_

When I emerged through the jumpscar, I noticed we were in some sort of dwelling. The lights weren't very bright, but from what I could see there were papers and pictures scattered around the room and a television and couch not too far from us. The boy that I had followed had just whipped around to face me, the glare in his eyes growing as he saw me standing there.

"What are you doing here?" he exclaimed angrily, pacing towards me.

For some reason, I didn't feel threatened by him, despite the fact that I should be suspicious after everything that had just happened. But seeing him fight those men somehow told me that, moodily or not, we at least had a common enemy.

"I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here. I just want to know what the hell just happened," I said.

Hey, he wanted to have an attitude? Life saver or not, I certainly wasn't going to be a perfect angel back to him.

"In case you were wondering, 'I've got places to be' wasn't exactly an invitation," he spat, shedding his jacket and sitting down on the couch next to a game controller.

"In case you were wondering, playing video games isn't exactly having somewhere to be," I retorted, pushing my hair from my face.

"I can _make _you go, Barbie," he said with a well earned glare, and moved towards me to back his words up.

"You can try, sunshine." I smiled sarcastically. "And it's not Barbie, it's Ella," I said, narrowing my eyes.

It was a common misconception that because I was so short and had blond hair that I was weak and fragile. I was constantly trying to prove myself and break the stereotypes. I had nearly showed that to everyone in school before I was shipped away, and I wasn't happy to be starting with a blank slate here.

"Well then, it's not sunshine, it's Griffin," he said.

I didn't have a snappy retort to that, so I merely nodded and cautiously sat down next to him. He didn't speak, but his eyes followed my movements as I fixed my now torn gray T-shirt and filthy pants.

"Well, Griffin, if you can please just clue me in here, I'll be out of your hair before you know it," I said, looking at him somewhat hopefully.

He seemed to be debating with himself for a moment, before he let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"It's simple, really," he said, licking his lips quickly. "Paladins are bad. Paladins want to kill you. Paladins probably would have killed you, as they kill most jumpers. It's actually surprising they haven't found you until now," he said, summing it all up as if it were the most normal thing to say in the world.

"Paladins?" I found myself repeating, unfamiliar with the word.

"Yes," Griffin said, shaking his head as if I were inexplicably stupid.

"But why do they want to kill us? Jumpers?" I said, still trying to piece it all together in my mind.

"Listen, Bar-"

"**Ella,**" I cut in forcefully.

"It doesn't matter why they want to kill us," he said, continuing as if I hadn't spoken. "They just don't want us alive, and that should be enough for you to watch your back," he said, not giving me a clear answer but somehow giving me a warning.

"So what am I supposed to do? Just hide away from the world like you do?" I asked, looking around at his...home.

"Well, you want to know what I think?" he whispered, leaning towards me.

"What?" I asked, subconsciously leaning closer.

"I think that's **your** problem, Barbie," he said with a wink, before pulling away.

I scowled and felt my face redden as I pushed back my hair once more. Something about this kid was _infuriating_. What happened to him that made him so god damn cynical all the time?

"Well thanks for the pep talk, asshole," I said, rolling my eyes.

I got up from the couch and with one last look back to his smiling face, I jumped back to Ireland.

I knew I'd have to find new places to jump, with those men probably still out to find me, but for now all I needed was a familiar face.

* * *

I saw the familiar home tangled with ivy as I walked quickly down the street, eyes wandering to every possible hiding spot. So far, it seemed that no one was following me, but I had effectively scared away a few birds and a stray cat.

I smiled as I walked up the small pathway but it quickly faded when I saw that the door was slightly ajar.

"Aunt Eileen?" I asked, pushing back the wooden door as I walked into the house.

I received no answer in response, and I frowned even more.

My eyes scanned over everything, the comfort of the home somewhat lost as I walked around anxiously. She was almost always in the kitchen, so I would try in there first.

"Aunt Eileen?" I tried again, but once again my call received only silence.

I felt the floorboards creaking under my soiled sneakers and resolved that I would clean up the mess later, as soon as I found Aunt Eileen.

I saw a dim light coming from the kitchen, and let out a small breath of relief as I stood up straighter and walked into the room.

"Why didn't you answer, I was scared-"

But I found the words falling from my lips as I let my eyes travel to my Aunt Eileen, sprawled across the floor.

"No!" I yelled, knowing that no one was there to hear me.

I fell to my knees beside her, pushing her graying hair from her face and looking at her ashen skin.

I felt her neck frantically, and then found that my hands were shaking too wildly to even feel for a pulse. I took ragged breaths and tried to watch her chest, but to my horror it wasn't moving a bit.

"No..." I said again, tears collecting on the corners of my eyes as her body remained still, her normal laughing face void of any emotion or life. I took a staggering look around, my vision blurring with the fresh tears and seeing that nothing was around to have caused this.

And suddenly, it became all too apparent that this was all my fault.

I quickly shot up and let out the bile that had been rising in my mouth out in the sink, wiping my sweat matted forehead. I didn't feel any better afterwards, instead, I felt my stomach still clenching and churning uncontrollably, the horrible taste still in my mouth.

I couldn't make myself look at her anymore. I felt her presence behind me, and the mere thought of her frozen eyes made me want to vomit again. My heart was beating unnaturally fast, and I knew that I needed to get out of here before I drove myself crazy.

But I couldn't just _leave_ her here.

She was the only family that hadn't cringed at the sight of me. She was the only one who cooked me meals and told me stories in her thick Irish brogue and took care of me when I was sick.

Who was I to lead to her death like this? And who I was I to leave her here like it was nothing?

I steadied myself as my vision refocused and tried to wipe away the tears as I grabbed her hand and concentrated hard, moving us both to the nearest house, and coincidentally, my aunt's best friend.

I got a lot of shocked looks as the family filed into the living room after hearing me enter, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to tell them what happened even if I tried.

So I spewed out an excuse and an apology and pretty soon, I was jumping again.

I was in the desert this time. I'd only been here once before, but now it seemed completely perfect.

The chaos running through me was fueling my footsteps but ruining my mind. I took blurred leaps, I made sharp, unobvious turns, but most of all, I cried. I hadn't cried in a long time, but it seemed to be building up for so long that I couldn't run out of tears.

The sand was whipping behind me from my frantic movements. I tried not to close my eyes for fear of the burned image imprinted on my lids. I felt my hair flying and the wind passing me, but I still couldn't seem to get a proper breath of air.

I was jumping all over the place without really knowing what I was doing. I transported from a huge rock to another one, from a cactus to a small bush, from the end of one dune to another.

I collapsed after a few minutes, or hours, it was hard to tell which. I felt my stomach calm down a bit, but my hands were still shaking furiously. My mind was buzzing, but the thoughts were somehow more logical as I wiped my trembling fingers on my pants.

There was only one thing to do now.

I jumped again, but this time, it was on purpose.

Griffin's face was just how I'd imagined, with some mingled surprise, but mostly anger.

"Why are you back here?" he demanded, but I was in no mood for his attitude again.

"You're going to teach me how to fight them. And _kill_ them," I said strongly, my chin held in the air as I stared right into his eyes. "And I won't take no for an answer."


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for those who reviewed! This one was intended to be longer, but my family is coming over, so I wanted to post it. Hope you like it. :)_

"What makes you think I owe you something?" were the first words out of Griffin's mouth.

"You don't," I insisted. "But if you say no, I'll just come back tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the-"

"Alright, alright! I'll teach you," He grumbled, cutting me off forcefully.

I allowed a satisfied, but somewhat bitter smile to spread across my face.

"That's all I ask."

"As soon as I'm done, you're out of here. No coming back," He demanded.

"Obviously."

"What changed your mind about all this?" he asked.

"You don't strike me as someone who cares," I retorted.

Okay, that was harsh without any sort of provocation. But I couldn't think about it. I wouldn't. It was all too near, and I had only just been able to stop crying. If I thought about going into that house again...I couldn't.

"Just making conversation," He said, but a newfound glare was in his eyes.

"Yeah..." I muttered, eyes drifting to get a better look at the place before Griffin spoke again.

"No telling anyone about this."

"Who would I tell?" I asked, scrunching my face for effect.

"What about your friends?" Griffin asked, actually for once not sounding harsh but rather curious.

"I don't have many friends," I said with a nonchalant shrug, but averted my gaze just the same.

"Why not?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I countered.

"People that get close to me get hurt," he said.

I noticed that he seemed to cringe slightly after he said that, as if he was remembering something. Or perhaps he was just regretting saying something honest and exposing his vulnerable side to me.

Either way, I felt like he deserved some sort of explanation.

"I went to a boarding school full of rich, judgmental girls," I reasoned. "Well, obviously all of them weren't horrible, but I didn't get close to anyone. I wasn't shy, not in the least bit. I was just afraid of them finding out my secret and completely hating me. Most of them didn't like me all that much to begin with," I said, shrugging once more.

"So Barbie was an outcast?" he joked, the vulnerability completely diminished.

"I chose to be _solitary,_" I rephrased. "Most of the people thought I was just quiet, but mostly left me alone."

"Wish you'd return the favor to me," he mumbled.

"I will leave you alone. As soon as this is finished," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

He thought I _wanted_ to be here? Okay, so Griffin was probably the only person I didn't have to lie to, but he wasn't exactly pleasant to be around.

"Fine. Come back tomorrow. I'm a busy man, so I might not be here all the time when you come," he said gruffly, turning away from me.

"I guess that's a 'no' on me staying here then?" I asked sarcastically.

My only answer was a glare, and to that I saluted before jumping back to New York. Sleep would either not come or be extremely easy, but from my aching limbs, I was hoping for the latter.

* * *

I didn't know what time to return to Griffin's the next day. He hadn't actually specified it, but I was assuming that he wasn't the type that would like to be woken up early. Actually, he had the 'wrong side of the bed' attitude nearly the entire day, so it would probably just be amplified in the morning.

I took a shower in an apartment that I knew was unoccupied since the rich couple that worked here always went away in the Summer. I watched as the dirt swirled down the drain, the muddy traces of yesterday being washed away. I only wished that I could somehow do the same thing to my mind.

The pelting water on my back felt soothing. I turned up the temperature to the highest it could be, not caring that my skin was turning red. Somehow the scorching heat reminded me that I was here. I was alive. And I needed to fight back.

I pressed my eyelids shut as the water continued to cascade around me. I don't know how long passed, but I was losing my concentration between the steam and steady sound of running water.

Screeching tires and shouts brought me out of my daze. I guess that's what you get for living in the city. I sighed and turned off the water, grabbing a towel off the door before stepping out, not really caring that I was making small puddles on the floor. They'd be dry by the time these people got home, anyway.

I slipped on a dress that didn't belong to me. I detested dresses, but this lady seemed to only own them and pants suits and I certainly wasn't putting on one of those. I resolved to get some clothes of my own later, because I didn't have any belongings with me. It sort of comes with the territory of not actually having a house yourself. I guess this was a smart thing now, especially since people were apparently after me.

The thought sent a shiver through my spine. If they had found me in Ireland, what stopped them from finding me here? What made this place any safer?

It didn't. And that thought wasn't comforting.

I could go somewhere completely remote, just like Griffin. But did I want to become a recluse? I loved the city, the bustling atmosphere. But would that cost me my life?

No.

I was going to Griffin's to learn how to kill them. So maybe it wouldn't be a problem. I'd be running, sure. But I wasn't exactly stable right now. I'd show them that it was a bad idea to try and track me. And it was an even worse idea to mess with my family.

Brushing these very cynical thoughts from my mind, I tried to think of something, anything else. My mind could only take so much pessimism before it started to race and turn to complete nonsense. I fingered the material of the dress and closed my eyes, thinking of where to go.

I found myself in the dressing room of Urban Outfitters, and with a quick look around, saw that no had seen me arrive.

So, with a quick purchase of jeans and a T-shirt, I was once again left with nothing to do. I looked at my watch and saw that it was nearing twelve o'clock.

My stomach grumbled uncomfortably, reminding me that it had been nearly a day and a half since I had eaten. I suppose I could Griffin a little more time, so I set off to find a vendor.

I'd never been suspicious before, but today I couldn't seem to shake a bad feeling from my mind. I felt like everyone was watching me, giving me a second look, somehow glaring in my direction.

I paused nearly five times in only two blocks, trying to convince myself that no one could get me here. Even if they did find me, they wouldn't do anything in front of all these people.

Right?

Suddenly, I wasn't so sure. And so the panic started.

I felt my breathing become uneven, and the background around me growing somewhat distant, yet even more foreboding.

In one last stroke of normalcy, I checked my watch and saw that twenty minutes had passed.

That was enough time for someone to sleep.

I looked around quickly and knew that I couldn't be here anymore, so I jumped to Griffin's without a second thought.

I looked around, seeing that no one was here.

"Griffin?" I called out.

I stepped away from my spot and peered around, seeing that he wasn't on the couch. A small wind fluttered the papers on the walls and I frowned, taking a few more steps until I was outside. But he wasn't out there either, only waves of sand met my eyes.

"Griffin?" I called again.

This was eerily like it had been yesterday with my aunt, but I tried not to think about it. My stomach was doing enough turning without that thought.

I turned around to sit down on the couch and wait, but before I knew what was happening, a sharp pain was sent through my legs and I found myself toppling to the floor.

My hands hit the ground roughly, tingling from the impact as I reeled around, ready to fight my attacker.

But I only saw Griffin standing there, a small smirk on his face, before he spoke to me.

"Lesson one: Be ready for anything."


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks, once again, to everyone who reviewed! I'm afraid that all of the feedback for this story is making me neglect my other ones. ;)  
_

* * *

"Can we take a break already? It's been two hours," I complained, wiping my sweat matted hair from my forehead. It was only the forth day of Griffin's training and I was feeling it in every aching limb of my sore body.

"Do you think the Paladins are going to give you a break?" Griffin snarled, jumping to my side and pitching me with a hit that nearly had me falling over into the sand.

"I hope that if I'm fighting them for this long, they'll be dead by now," I said, clenching my teeth as I jumped quickly to be beside him and hit him squarely in the back, causing him to fumble.

"Nice try, Barbie, but you've got to _mean_ it," he said, growling as he aimed for my knees and sent me headfirst into the floor.

I lay there panting as I struggled to gain any sort of strength or motivation to stand. When I didn't rise for a few seconds, I heard Griffin sigh and wipe his own sweaty face before speaking.

"I've got somewhere to be, so you can either get up or leave when you can," he said, and before I knew it, he was walking back to his lair and vanished from sight.

I sat for a few more moments, finally gaining the energy to stand and jump inside. With Griffin not here, this place seemed strangely lonely. I wondered how he was able to stand the silence of the desert, but I supposed he was used to it.

I staggered over to the couch and collapsed in a heap of burning limbs, my skin feeling like it was on fire.

My mother always said I was pale as a ghost, but if she could see what the hours of the desert sun were doing, she might not recognize me. I barely knew myself, when I looked in the mirror. I don't know why, or how it was even possible, but I seemed to look older, even though it had only been a week.

I bit my lip as I surveyed the damage from today.

I was going to have a nice bruise on my stomach from a particularly hard hit from Griffin, and cuts traced my palms from an unfortunate fall on a stray rock. I knew that Griffin wasn't aiming to actually cause serious damage, and that was probably the only reason I hadn't broken or sprained anything yet.

Although he was completely against it, Griffin had really gotten into the whole 'becoming a master' role. He even broke up what we had to do into sections- hand to hand combat, testing my reflexes, educating me on the Paladins, and controlling my jumping. Of course it wasn't totally accurate, because the Paladins of course couldn't jump themselves like Griffin would, but he thought it was good enough.

Even though I was somewhat hesitant to hit Griffin at first, that feeling dissipated in all of three seconds. His small comments and leering were enough to make anyone want to shove a fist in his face. And of course, him hitting me was a bit of provocation as well.

So, all in all, each day I grew more confident. I had yet to beat Griffin, or come close to it at all, but it had only been four days. A few more weeks of this and I was bound to be in the best condition I'd ever been in. (The soreness was a constant reminder of just how much I'd been slacking over the years.)

I let my thoughts wander elsewhere, trying to picture the lights of New York at night or the palm trees swaying in Florida, and without further convincing, my body got some well needed rest.

* * *

I blinked repeatedly and made to stretch before I recoiled in pain and wincing, tried to stand. My aching muscles made even walking a hard prospect, but I knew that I had to move. Griffin probably wouldn't want me to still be here when he got back.

And, as though he knew when I was thinking about him, he suddenly appeared, wiping off his sleeves before his eyes fixed upon mine.

"You're still here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw me stretched out on the couch.

"Obviously," I said, not really knowing what else to say.

"Well I'm sorry, but the complimentary maid service seems to have forgotten the chocolate for your pillow," he said sarcastically, throwing his jacket off and smirking at me.

"That's alright, as long as it doesn't happen again," I retorted, smiling at him, before it turned into a slight wince.

I looked up sharply, but thankfully he didn't notice that it pained me to sit up straight.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Don't you have somewhere to be?" he urged.

"Well I am starving," I said, patting my stomach which hadn't seen food since this morning.

"Go on then," Griffin said absentmindedly, jotting down something on a piece of paper and not even meeting my eyes.

And suddenly it struck me that he never had anyone to go get lunch with, or dinner, or even breakfast. And he never had anyone to do normal things with, like go to the movies or go shopping, or even just playing video games.

And I happened to be in the exact same situation.

"Do you want to come?" I asked.

I sort of regretted it even before I got the words out, but by then it was too late and I resorted to waiting with bated breath for an answer.

"Look, I'm only teaching you because I know you'd be hard to get rid of. That doesn't mean we're going to suddenly become best friends."

"Look," I mimicked him, narrowing my eyes. "I don't think we're going to magically get along. I just know that a person needs to eat sometimes. And sometimes, they have to eat at _the same time_. And then they do this crazy thing and go get food together. We don't have to laugh, or tell jokes, or even sit at the same table if you don't want to. I was just being nice."

He seemed to pause for a second, putting down the pen in his hand as he looked at me.

"Not even at the same table?"

I shook my head with a small smile.

"I _could _eat," He admitted.

"Good. I know a great pizza place," I said with a satisfied grin.

* * *

Our orders had been ready for a few moments as we waited for the stupid worker to give us our food. It was sitting on the counter as we stared at it, the kid leaning close to us instead of paying attention.

I let my eyes drift to his hands as he tried to pull off some sort of weird straw trick and put it in my drink. It only took him about three attempts to get it right.

I was about to say something when Griffin snarled from beside me and narrowed his eyes.

"So is this free, or are you going to let us pay sometime today?"

The boy broke out of his daze and I sent him an apologetic smile as he rung up the orders, both of us shoving money at him before turning around.

"Well that was weird," I commented, taking a sip of my drink as I waited for Griffin to grab some cheese.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice that, Barbie," Griffin said, rolling his eyes.

"It's **Ella**. And notice what?" I asked.

"He was trying to get you to notice him. That straw thing was pretty lame, but I can tell a flirt attempt when I see one."

I opened my mouth, but no retort was coming out. That kid was not trying to flirt with me, he was just acting stupid. What would Griffin know about that, anyways?

"You know for someone socially inept, you act like you know a lot about people," I said, rolling my eyes.

Remembering my promise, I sat down at a different table than Griffin, who was already biting into his pizza. I looked at mine quickly before blowing on it and waiting for it to cool.

There was almost no one in here, having the dinner rush just about end, and I quickly surveyed my surroundings as I waited for the pizza to stop steaming.

"You don't have to sit there," Griffin groaned.

I looked up with a raised eyebrow to see him not looking at me, but knowing he said it all the same. I grinned as I picked up my meal and moved to his table, taking the seat across from him.

"Don't act like this means anything," he grumbled, keeping his eyes glued to his pizza.

I only smiled and took a bite of my own.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks for the wonderful reviews! They keep me updating. :)_

I hadn't attended the funeral service.

Griffin told me that it was the first place they'd expect me to go, so while my aunt was lowered into the ground, I was pacing in a hotel room in Rome. I wondered what part of the service was happening as I shrunk into bed, and I wondered who was there when I restlessly tossed and turned.

I couldn't just lie here while it happened. I couldn't just pretend like I was normally going to bed when I knew I should be there for the person who was always there for me.

I shut my eyes tightly, and all I could see was her body lying on the floor. I opened them and all I could see was the stark white ceiling mocking me. I looked over and all I could see was a blaring alarm clock reminding me that I should be waking up, and yes, I certainly had somewhere to be.

Only I couldn't be there.

But I could no longer be here, confined in this stupid hotel room, with the stupid empty silence of someone with regrets.

I had pent up aggression and energy. I was nearly bouncing on the soles of my feet. I had to do _something_. Anything.

And what better to do when you're bored than train?

I knew that it was a bad idea to wake Griffin up at this time, so I rolled over and jumped to the outside of his lair. It was dark out, but I knew that I wouldn't really run into anyone anyway. The moon was enough of a guide.

I bent down to tie my shoelace and stretched a little before I took off.

And I ran until my lungs were heaving and my legs were pulsing. And I ran until the sun started to rise and the moon disappeared. And I ran until somehow, I started to feel a little bit better.

* * *

On the way back, I wiped my face but knew that it was still glistening with sweat. I felt my legs screaming with every step, but didn't want to jump back. I wanted to enjoy the silence for a few more moments. Everything seemed perfect out here- open and empty.

Sometimes it's even worse feeling alone when you're surrounded by people. At least here I was alone entirely.

I let the sand give way under my feet, causing me to dig a trail back to Griffin's. I didn't know how far I'd gone, but suddenly I couldn't see his place anywhere.

With a few more misguided steps, I realized I was lost.

I guess it's time to jump now.

I went just outside of his lair, debating whether I should alert him of my presence or not. I guess I would be coming back later, so there wasn't a reason to. But first, I'd sit down for a few minutes and let my muscles relax.

"Barbie?"

I pushed my hair out of my face and looked up at Griffin who was squinting at me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Figured this was the best place for a nice run," I answered, hiding the details, but knowing he wouldn't care about them anyway.

"You ran at six in the morning?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"Actually, I ran at two in the morning. But who's keeping track?" I said with a small smile.

He shook his head as if I was crazy and leaned against the frame of the entrance.

"Well if you're here, we might as well start."

"I don't think I can start right now," I said, frowning.

"Why not?"

"Cause I can't move."

"Suck it up."

"Griffin," I whined. "I can't do it right now."

"And who's going to care? The Paladins? I don't think so," he said, crossing his arms.

"Griffy-"

"Do **not **call me that," He growled.

"I think it's cute," I said.

I've learned that the best way to deal with Griffin's attitude is to respond with obnoxious annoyance. Works every time.

"It's _not_ cute. Get your ass up."

"But sunshine, I can't get up."

Suddenly, Griffin was right beside me, pulling me to my feet and I was suddenly toppling over, dragging him down with me.

I began to laugh as I felt his weight on mine, my back landing with a soft thump in the sand. Griffin hadn't exactly been expecting the fall either, so a look of surprise was on his features when I glanced up at him.

And then, I saw it.

"Stop the presses, is that a smile I see on your face?" I asked, eyes wide.

"No, you must be imagining things," he said, smirk overtaking his face as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Funny, I never pegged you for a liar," I said, stumbling to my feet as well.

"And I...well, I always pegged you for annoying," he said with another smirk.

I glared at him, noticing his uncanny ability to ruin any nice moment that we would have ever had. Not that I wanted to have nice moments with him. It was just a nice change from the constant arguing.

"You know, you're rather annoying yourself," I sang, following him slowly as he walked back into his lair and sat down on the couch.

"I am not annoying. That's your job," he said.

"I'm only annoying when you're mean," I replied.

"And I'm only mean when you're annoying," he retorted.

"You're mean all the time," I said flatly.

"Yeah, well I've got things to be angry about," he said gruffly, with a glare.

"We all have things to be angry about. The uncanny thing about humans is the ability to move on. Not dwell on things that will drive us crazy."

I knew I'd gone too far. I didn't know him all that well, and I could tell by the flare of anger in his eyes that Griffin didn't really appreciate being judged.

But I knew that I had to say something before he did, or a yelling match would be the only thing that followed.

"I'm ready to train now."

I heard him grumbling under his breath, but I knew that he wouldn't refuse as I strode outside. I was still feeling slightly weak, but I guess the past few days of constant activity were actually helping me get in better shape.

Griffin was still muttering incomprehensive words as he threw me a...stick? I guess we were going to train with these things today.

Before I had a chance to get a word in, he swung his at me and I just barely blocked it before losing my balance and toppling into the now hot sand.

With a groan I got up and felt my legs shake before I tried to hit him, but he blocked me quickly like it was nothing.

He swung again and made contact this time, but it only grazed my arm and I took the opportunity to swing at his stomach. It barely touched him before he hit me again, this time aiming for my own stomach.

I arched my back to get out of the way and sucked in a deep breath before swinging for his legs, which he effortlessly blocked again, and this time he aimed for my head.

"Whoa there," I exclaimed, watching it pass just a little too close to my eyes. "Play fair, buddy."

"No one ever said anything about playing fair," he said with teeth clenched, swinging again.

I managed to block it fully this time, swinging around so I could try and hit him. I actually made contact, surprisingly enough, and he stumbled a bit but responded quickly, hitting my legs without warning.

He seemed to like to do that, I noticed grimly, as I fell to my knees and looked up at him through narrowed eyes.

Next time, I'm keeping my mouth shut.


	7. Chapter 7

_I keep trying to make the parts longer, but I keep failing. Anyways, hope you like it. I love and appreciate x1000 all the reviews. :)  
_

The sun was so blinding that the black words in my book were blazing red in my squinted eyes. I tried to shield them and simultaneously keep a firm grip on the page, but I was failing. The sun was growing warmer and I managed to keep my eyes open long enough to see that no clouds were in sight.

Brilliant.

I tried to focus a little more on the story, but it was no use. Words were doubling over and smearing and I was losing interest altogether.

I shut the book forcefully and slumped into the bench. There were people all around me who I was effectively blocking out until now. Their voices and screams began to rise, and I knew that it was lunch hour so the crowds would only be growing. I disliked being a in the center of a mass of people, but I stuck to mostly crowded areas these days. Less of a threat, at least.

My throat was dry as I walked behind a cluster of trees in the park that weren't inhabited by a picnicking family or hot employee. When I didn't see anyone glancing in my direction, I jumped.

It wasn't smart too get people involved in your daily routine, and I certainly didn't want to get anyone else hurt, so I went to a new café everyday to get my caffeine fix. It had become a new schedule for me to wake up, take a shower, jump around for a bit, get a cappuccino, and go to Griffin's.

In a life where normalcy seemed the farthest thing from attainable, it felt nice to have a stable pattern.

Today, I went to get coffee in Mexico. I knew a bit of Spanish, at least enough to get the point across. And that stash of pesos I had was really burning a hole in my pocket.

When I had finished my cup, I found an alley and jumped again, with renewed vigor.

Griffin's lair was empty when I got there. I had never been alone here for a very long time, except for the day when I fell asleep. It was weird to see the place Griffin-less, especially since he seemed to have problem with people invading his privacy.

I took a look around, realizing I had never taken a closer one before. There were pictures on the walls, and it only took me a moment to realize that these were Paladins.

I don't know why people would want to hurt others the way they hurt Jumpers. Griffin had been telling me more and more about them, but never once did it actually make sense to me. Maybe I just wanted to believe that everyone had some good in them, and that violence would only occur when provoked.

But they weren't provoked.

They killed. They killed with recklessness, without knowing who the person was, and only judging their actions on a simple ability they had.

And they thought we were the monsters?

Griffin hadn't told me what happened to him, but his attitude and demeanor left little to imagination. I knew they had hurt him. I knew that they probably took his family like they had taken mine, or he had to leave them because of what hunted him. Either way, Griffin's words no longer annoyed me. I knew that he was how he was for a reason, and I wasn't going to change him. But I wouldn't leave him either.

Dammit. I've grown some sort of attachment to that insensitive jerk.

"What are you doing?"

I smiled, turning away from the pictures and facing Griffin.

"Looking at your new victims," I said, walking over to him. "Where have you been?"

"My yoga class," he said sarcastically. "Where do you think?"

"Where were you this time?" I asked curiously, sitting down on the couch and ignoring his attitude.

"The jungle. Let's just say the lions won't be hungry for too long."

I nodded, but for some reason, I felt my stomach turn. Of course I wanted to fight the Paladins. Of course I wanted revenge. But I didn't know if I would be able to kill another person when the time came.

I felt a flash of nausea as I thought of Aunt Eileen.

She wasn't able to kill anyone either. I'm sure she didn't have much of an option.

And I only had two.

I could either kill or be killed.

"What planet are you on, Barbie?"

"**Ella**," my mouth corrected without thinking. "I was just...never mind."

"Well don't just sit there. We're wasting daylight."

I followed him slowly, and wondered if I was ever going to be who I was and be truly happy.

* * *

"You're good at defense, but you can only block for so long. You have to make hits, too." Griffin told me, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I **do** make hits." I protested.

"Not enough for it to count." He said, swinging at me again.

I jumped behind him and quickly hit his back and he stumbled, facing me with not fury, but slight pride.

"Nice one."

Griffin...paying a compliment? That was unheard of. I stopped for a moment in surprise, and suddenly I was on my back, sand breaking my fall.

"But not nice enough." Griffin said with a smirk.

I should have known that anything remotely nice coming out of his mouth would have a follow up.

"So, do you have a favorite color?" I asked, getting back to my feet.

"What the hell?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

We both walked to a rock to rest for a moment, and Griffin threw me a water bottle.

"I mean, I sort of think of you as this master Jumper. But not as a normal person. But you must have normal person tendencies. A favorite color, hobbies, perhaps?" I asked.

He looked at me like I was crazy, to which I just shrugged my shoulders.

"I just want to know who you are, Griffy." I said dramatically, grabbing his arm.

He jerked away and rolled his eyes, taking a sip of water.

"This isn't social hour, it's training." He said, pulling my arm back towards where we were standing before.

"Sorry, Master Sunshine." I said with a bow.

I felt good as we started again. This was going on our second week, and I was already in much better shape. I'd like to think my reflexes were better too, but no matter what I did, Griffin always managed to beat me.

It didn't help that it was always scalding hot here. I didn't work well in such conditions. Griffin assured me that I would be better for it, more ready for anything.

I think that's a bunch of crap, but whatever.

"Quicker, and protect your left side better. You favor the right." Griffin instructed.

He didn't jump as much when we were fighting, probably to give the illusion that it was an actual Paladin.

"Better, but still a little weak." Griffin commented as I blocked a blow coming for my left arm.

"Good, but you're too conscious of it. It should be second nature." He said, throwing a hit this time to my right and causing me to lose my train of thought.

I nearly fell over again, but regained my balance and tried to hit him, barely grazing his stomach before he counterattacked me.

"Good, but like I said, **more hits**."

I grumbled from frustration. I come from a long line of perfectionists, so although the criticism was constructive, it wasn't necessarily appreciated.

"I'm trying." I said exasperated.

"Well try **harder**." He said with clenched teeth.

"I am!" I exclaimed, swinging at him.

He dodged it, and I would have been alright with that if he didn't throw in that extra smirk, in the 'Ha, you're still not good enough' way.

God, sometimes he could make me angry.

"C'mon, is that the best you've got?" he asked.

I pursed my lips and felt the energy well up inside of me as I blocked a hit and immediately threw back one of my own.

Griffin looked shocked for a moment at my sudden outburst and before I knew it, he was on the ground, panting as he looked up at me through shielded eyes.

I knocked him over. I beat Griffin. I never thought that this situation would be reversed, but boy did it feel good.

He rose to his feet, raising one eyebrow at me.

"Didn't think you had it in you." He commented dryly.

I knew that was the most praise I'd be receiving from him, so I let it soak in.

"Same time tomorrow?" I asked, undoing my ponytail and letting my hair fall loose around my shoulders.

Griffin only nodded in response, and I watched him make his way back towards the lair slowly.

"Oh, and Barbie?" he asked.

I fought the urge to correct him and simply looked up.

"My favorite color is red. And I like video games."

As he turned around and disappeared from sight, all I could do was smile.


	8. Chapter 8

_I love the reviews! It's weird that my other stories have like 2 and this one has almost 70. It makes me extremely happy of course. Enjoyy. :)_

I remember once in tenth grade we had a summer social studies assignment, which I, of course, put off until the last minute. So on the last official day of vacation, I was scrambling to get work done.

We had to write three essays and do an entire page of vocabulary. I had scraped together three somewhat decent but not spectacular essays and was starting the vocabulary with a sense of accomplishment. I had made a significant dent in my work and there were still a few hours to spare.

And then a gust of wind sent my work flying in every direction. Most of the sheets were salvaged. Some did not survive the storm.

I collected what I could, but stupid me who had to work outside, lost an entire essay on the Civil War to the pool.

It was that sense of accomplishment being ripped away that I was feeling right now.

For the past two weeks, I had gotten Griffin to act close to a normal human being. As close as he could be, at least. We had been to the pizza place three times, and I even forced him to play a video game with me. We had a few (semi) civilized conversations. Of course, we still fought, and he still insulted me, but it was getting better.

Until now.

I had managed, with my obvious and quite remarkable skills of persuasion, to let him take me to a bar. A bar, of course, was not my first choice. I was underage, and didn't drink, but I needed to get out. I never had a problem with this before, but the lack of social interaction was actually getting to me. Me. The outcast. I knew something must be wrong, but it felt good to be in a crowd and not worrying for your safety, but just trying to have a good time.

I wasn't much of a talk to strangers type of girl, so I was shadowing Griffin.

I frowned as he downed a beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before turning to me rudely.

"Are you gonna watch me all night?" he grumbled.

I frowned at his low rumbling tone and nodded.

"You wanted to come here," I pointed out.

"And you followed me," he retorted, ordering another drink.

"I was getting sick of only seeing you," I said with a glare.

"Did I suddenly morph into another person, Barbie?" he taunted, "Because newsflash: We're in a room full of people, and you won't leave me alone."

I felt a flare in my stomach like it always did when I was about to go into argue mode. I was stopped, however, when Griffin's drink came and he began to gulp it down, oblivious to my presence.

"Maybe you should slow down," I suggested.

That earned no more than a grunt that echoed in his glass and what I could only assume was a nostril flare in my direction.

"I can leave you, you know. And then how would you get home?" I asked.

"What are they going to do, arrest me for drinking and jumping?" he asked with a smirk.

I glared at him once more, but he did have a point. Griffin was getting by absolutely fine without me before, so it really wouldn't be different now. But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to leave.

"Drinking impairs your thinking. We don't need you attracting attention to yourself or jumping in front of a whole crowd of people," I tried to justify, even though my tone lacked the conviction my mind had.

"Sod off. I'm completely fine, I've been fine, and I will be fine when you're gone," he stated, giving me a smoldering stare.

"I'm not going to leave," I said, but immediately regretted it.

"It wasn't a request. Just because you've gotten attached to me doesn't mean I need you hanging around," he said with one last glare before turning his attention to the girl beside him.

I watched in dull interest as he flirted with her. For someone who was just spitting fire moments before, he seemed to change his frame of mind in only a few seconds. Seeing Griffin fight was one thing, but seeing him flirt was another.

And for some reason, that flare in my stomach returned.

I wrote it off as the anger that was boiling inside of me. I was surprised that I could still live with such passion after all the fights that we've had in the past.

And stupid me didn't get the hint to leave yet. I just wanted to be absolutely ready. No questions asked that I would be able to do some damage and fight.

And I wasn't quite there yet.

I hopped off the stool I was on and was making my way to the door when a hand reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the dance floor.

"Oh, no, I don't want to dance," I argued, but the man didn't seem to be listening.

He pulled me towards him and I got a good look at his face. He wasn't completely unfortunate looking, but he wasn't anything spectacular. Dark hair, eyes blue but a little too far apart, and teeth a little too crooked.

"Thanks, but I have to go," I said with a glare, pulling my arms free of him as I nearly sprinted towards the door.

I felt his hand on my arm once more and was about to turn around and knee him where the sun don't shine until I heard a cold voice behind me.

"Back off. She doesn't want to dance with you, so why don't you go home and practice with Mom like you normally do?"

Odd. That angry tone was nearly always directed at me, so it was weird for it to be used in my defense.

"Hey buddy-"

"No, we're not buddies. And we might just be enemies, which you certainly don't want. So if you don't want to have your ass kicked, I suggest you leave right now," Griffin said, narrowing his eyes.

Ugly man frowned and pushed away from us, disappearing into the crowd.

I looked back to thank Griffin in somewhat shock, but he was already at the bar again, draping his arm across the girl beside him.

Suddenly I wished I hadn't come at all.

* * *

I couldn't help it.

It was one of those things that I knew I shouldn't do, but on some level, I always knew that I would do.

My sneaker clad feet sunk into the damp ground as I pushed open the cemetery gates and cringed as they squeaked with rust. No one was here, and in the moon streaked sky, I knew that there likely wouldn't be any visitors.

I didn't know where my Aunt Eileen was buried, but I had a hunch that it was near my Uncle Patrick. I always remembered where his tombstone was, for my aunt and I had spent many afternoons cleaning and laying flowers across it.

I squinted in the dull light and headed towards the far left, in the last row of stones. How sad that when we were gone our memories were reduced to a small block of granite. It would be better to visit someone's grave if it was a small garden instead. Or a tree, or a mural, or something that would evoke some sort of happiness instead of a cold, hard, stone.

I sighed and lightly trailed my fingers down my goosebumps. The wind had picked up slightly and the darkness wasn't really quelling my apprehension.

_Mary McBride, Laura Baxter, Kevin Leighton._

One day I wanted to come back and put flowers on every single one of these graves. Just to remind everyone of who they were, that somebody still cared. The graveyard would like an orchard, and maybe just maybe, the tears would lessen from seeing it.

I reached the place where my uncle was and had to choke back a cry as I saw the stems of flowers that I had helped my aunt grow, cut, and leave here for him. They were dead now and robbed of petals or color, a reminder that there was no one left to tend them.

But I was still here. And I would be for a while. So if it was the last thing I did, I would keep coming here, to remind myself that I was still alive and I was still fighting, and I wouldn't let them down.

I squinted once more and looked at the stone beside my uncle's, and sure enough, my aunt's name was engraved on the front. I used the pads of my fingertips to press a kiss to the stone, tracing the deep letters with my fingers.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, sitting on the ground and not caring that I was getting my pants wet and dirty.

I never got a proper good-bye, so this was as good as any.

"I never meant to hurt you, or bring you into any of this," I said lowly, biting my lip, "If I had even known that you were in any sort of danger, I would have protected you."

A fresh gust of wind sent my hair flying in all directions, but I wasn't finished, and the cold barely bothered me anymore.

"You're the only family I had left. Mom doesn't count, she doesn't care. You were the only one who ever looked out for me, and I don't think I ever properly thanked you. Sometimes, I wanted to give up, just let go, but you were always there to show me that there was some good in life. Without you, I just couldn't see it," I managed to say.

It was getting harder and harder to speak through my choked back sobs, and in a minute, they were going to break through.

"I love you, Aunt Eileen. And everyday I wish you were here with me. I've never really believed in an afterlife, or heaven, or anything like that, but if it does exist, I really hope you're there. And I really hope you're okay," I finished.

The tears had begun to leak out now, but I stubbornly wiped them away with the back of my hand and wished that I had brought some flowers or something to leave here.

I had swallowed and was calming myself down when I heard a rustling behind me and turned sharply, eyes darting in every direction.

"It's really best if you don't run," a tired voice said.

I guess it's time to see if my training was helping at all.


	9. Chapter 9

_You guys are the best. Thanks so much for the reviews! :)_

* * *

_Always be moving. If you keep jumping, there's less of a chance that they'll get a good opportunity to electrocute you._

I let Griffin's words coach me as I turned to face the Paladin giving me a grim look. I could see dimly in the moonlight that he was clutching something in one hand. I gritted my teeth together- was I really ready for this? I had some training but I had barely beaten Griffin more than once. How would I handle him?

I didn't have time to worry before I saw the man raise his arm. That was my cue to jump.

The spiral of electricity missed me by inches. I watched in satisfaction as the man whirled around to face me behind him. My heart was racing, but I could do this. Don't let the furious thumping and the mind whirling show.

_Keep a poker face. They hate when you fight back, and they hate it even more when you're better than them_.

"Nice try," I said with a shrug, grinning as I hit the back of his head.

He cursed and made to move again, missing me yet again as I jumped a few graves away.

I watched his dark eyes narrow in frustration and wondered why he was here alone. Griffin warned me that normally there were at least two Paladins. I guess he was working the graveyard shift. Quite literally.

He seemed to have greater energy as he lashed out again, and I jumped again, hearing the crash of stone behind me as the electricity hit a grave.

I was furious. Whoever would come to visit their poor relative would find a pile of rubble. Desecrating a memorial of a persons life? That wasn't something I wanted to do.

I egged the Paladin on my skipping jumps and finally reaching the end of graves so he wouldn't hit another.

"You've gotta be faster than that," I said with a grin as he charged forward.

His gray suit was rumpled as he tried to hit me again, and I let out a gasp as he missed, but skimmed my shoulder with a punch.

_If you let them hit you once, it's hard to recover. It gives them too much time and your jumping time is delayed._

I hissed at the contact of our limbs and wheeled back to hit him myself. I didn't have anything with me like Griffin and I had planned, so I had to make do with my fists.

The Paladin easily blocked my hits. I wondered if my Aunt Eileen put up a fight, or if she was easy to kill. The mere thought sent a shiver through me, a new found fury pulsing through every vein.

Our movements became so fast that I barely had time to think before I had to defend myself. I started to sweat and breathe heavily as I rammed into the Paladin; maybe if I knocked him off his feet, I could take away his weapon.

It didn't work. I slammed my body against his, the pain flickering in every place that contacted. He staggered but didn't fall, and I felt the effects just like he did.

We both took a few seconds to recover before he sent a pulse at me, and this time, I wasn't so lucky as to miss it.

Electricity flooded my body. I felt my senses fizzle as I fell to my knees and tried not to writhe. He could do it; he could get me right now. I wished more than ever that I hadn't come here. I wished that I stayed at that stupid bar no matter how Griffin was acting.

I heard his footsteps coming at me and used any sort of gathered recollection of my strength that I could to hit his legs.

He staggered again and didn't get a chance to hit me again as I struggled to my feet, my movements jerky and forced, but at least happening.

I saw that his eye was bloody from the fight and he was exhausted, but I didn't take any chance on lingering on anything else.

I didn't care that I hadn't beaten him, I was just lucky that he was too slow to beat me.

I jumped as far away as I could.

* * *

_Don't think of it as a failure, think of it as practice._

I tried to keep telling myself that, but the lingering feeling of not being successful was still hanging around me. The minute I had gotten away, I jumped a few more times for good measure, knowing that he couldn't follow me, but heeding Griffin's advice to throw him off the trail.

I ended up in New York. Go figure.

I tried to always go different places, so I ended up at a hotel. I knew there were suites on the 32nd floor that were rarely occupied, so I jumped there first. We had stayed there on my parent's 15th anniversary, before my dad died and my mom sort of lost touch with the world.

I tried not to think of that as I let the shower scorch my skin. I didn't care that it was turning red, it felt good to wash away the fight and the dirt and the night altogether.

Funny how good intentions always turn into disaster.

I wrapped a towel around myself and realized that I didn't bring any clothes with me, but there were no way I was putting back on the dirty ones from last time. I looked at a clock in the kitchen and realized that the fight had only lasted a few minutes, and it was still relatively early. Only eleven o'clock at night.

Griffin wouldn't be back for a while, not at the rate he was going. So I could just jump over there and steal some clothes. He probably wouldn't even notice, so what was the harm?

I smiled as I thought of myself wearing his stupid leather jacket, and jumped.

It was dark. I found a flickering light and put it on, but it didn't really do the job. There was another light somewhere, but I didn't feel like looking for it. This would have to do.

I made my way towards where I expected Griffin to keep his clothes. He never exactly gave me a grand tour, but it's not like he lived in a mansion.

I was taking a few steps forward when I heard a crash behind me and spun around with wide eyes, clutching my towel protectively around me.

"Who's there?" I shot, looking around in the pale glow.

"Better question, who's house is this?"

Dammit. This was a very bad idea.

"Sorry, I'm just gonna leave," I said, locating the outline of Griffin as he stepped closer to me.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Apparently, drunk Griffin wasn't friendly either. Damn.

"I was just looking for something," I offered, seeing Griffin's eyes finally meet mine and drift downward.

Thank you, dim lighting, for hiding my ever glowing red cheeks. I will never doubt the dark again.

"So you were so eager you didn't dress first? Or you were so comfortable you didn't feel the need to? Either way, I'm flattered, Barbie, but I just don't feel that way about you," he said with a smirk.

"I didn't have any clothes," I said exasperatedly, knowing I wouldn't live this down. "Get _over_ yourself."

"Are you sure you don't mean _under_-"

"Okay, I'm not doing this!" I yelled, eyes wide.

Apparently, drunk Griffin liked insinuations.

I heard him chuckle- the closest thing to a laugh you would get from him.

I rolled my eyes and was about to jump when he began to stumble towards me.

"One sec," he said, disappearing behind me.

I tried not to think about what he was doing as he ran into something, or rummaged on purpose, it was hard to tell.

I realized that I was sort of cold and my hair probably looked like a damp rats nest, but waited like Griffin said for some reason I couldn't quite place.

In a minute or two, Griffin returned and wordlessly shoved a pile of clothes into my hands before collapsing on the couch.

I jumped before saying anything, even thank you. Because in situations like this, awkwardness totally ruled out manners.

I don't know what the hell was going on with me and this tortured kid, but it was getting weirder by the day.


	10. Chapter 10

_Yay for a new Jumper. :) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, you guys are amazing. Hope you like this new one. I promise some actual action will be happening soon.  
_

I expected the next day to be filled with awkward silences or shameless ridicule. I got neither.

Griffin seemed either completely unaware of what had happened last night, or completely indifferent about it. It was business as usual for us, today being a jumping lesson on throwing people off my trail. He made the usual snide comments, slightly rude to the point of frustration, but that wasn't anything quite different.

Had he forgotten? He was speaking relatively coherently last night, so he wasn't _that_ drunk. He was probably ignoring it for my sake. Okay, I take that back; it was probably for his own sake, since he obviously cares much more about himself than other people.

I shook my head. I never did well when I was thinking too much about something, so I tried to ignore my thoughts for now.

We had been practicing for half an hour when I decided I needed a break.

"I'm going to get some water," I told Griffin, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"Fine," he said, wiping his face as well as we walked into the shade.

The desert wasn't a fun place to be when the sun was directly overhead. I was surprised I hadn't fainted yet. I dug through my backpack for my water bottle and sprayed some on my face before taking a sip. I saw Griffin disappear for a few moments before returning with his own.

My skin was on fire. It was one of those times where even breathing was uncomfortable. There wasn't a part of me that wasn't smoldering as I prayed for wind in the stagnant air.

So, hot and knowing that I looked ultimately hideous, I decided that my self-consciousness would not win in this situation- I was taking my shirt off. I had on a tank top underneath, and quite frankly, the prospect of being even just one degree cooler was tantalizing.

I didn't wait to see if Griffin was watching, I just peeled off my white T-shirt and threw it into my bag while I turned back to the area we had been practicing in.

"You just love stripping for me lately," Griffin commented with a smirk.

Dammit. He did remember.

I felt my cheeks grow seemingly warm and did my best to maintain a tough expression.

"Oh, shove it," I said, rolling my eyes, "It's a hundred degrees out here."

"And last night?" he asked, raised eyebrow.

"Shut _up_," I growled.

I wasn't used to this. I was supposed to be the annoying one to soften the meanness of Griffin. He wasn't supposed to tease me. It didn't work that way. And I _really_ didn't like it.

"Where's your towel now?" he asked.

"Seriously, Griffin. I can kick your ass." I said, trying to sound threatening but probably not succeeding.

"I'm sure you could, Barbie," he said, still with that stupid smirk.

"Ella. Say it with me- **El-la**," I spat, not really angry at the nickname, but more just angry that he was completely calm about this while I was near the point of combusting.

He laughed. I couldn't believe it. He was laughing at me. What was this? Maybe the drunkness from last night was spilling over or something, but I definitely felt like I was having a Twilight Zone moment.

"Seriously, you weigh what, fifty pounds wet? You couldn't break one of my fingers," he said cockily.

And since I'm crazy, and sometimes act on impulse without thinking how stupid I will look, I did something pretty...dumb.

I tackled him.

Surprised, he actually fell from my blow. We both hit the sand and Griffin's expression was priceless as he looked up at me through half-lidded eyes. When confusion turned to anger, I knew I'd made a mistake.

In moments, I was on my back with Griffin holding me down with his arms, smirking.

"You should not have done that," he said, breath hitting my face.

I scoffed and didn't hesitate to hit him where the sun don't shine. He groaned loudly, collapsing beside me and clutching himself.

"And you should not have done that," I smiled.

"Holy fu...you stupid arg...oh my go..._low blow_," he finally said, teeth clenched.

I smiled and began to rise to my feet before he was pulling my hand and forcing me back down.

"Truce?" I asked nervously, seeing the angry gleam in his eye.

I knew Griffin wasn't one to pass up revenge, or an act of violence, but I hoped he would agree.

"Fine," he growled.

I smiled and knew that acting like it never happened would be the only way to get Griffin to soften up.

"So what's new?" I asked cheerily.

"Are you bipolar? Or just crazy?"

"I like to think that I'm..._special_," I offered.

"That's not the word I'd use," Griffin muttered.

I hit him lightly and he scowled at me again. Whoops...someone is still mad.

"Hey..." he suddenly said, eyes on my shoulder.

I followed his gaze and craned my neck to see what he was looking at. It was a bruise- the one from the Paladin I had fought in the graveyard.

"Where did you get that? From me?" he asked with mingled curiosity.

"Oh, no..." I trailed off.

"What, did you get mugged or something?" Griffin asked.

"No, it was...a Paladin," I told him, "If you think this is bad, wait to see how he looks," I joked uneasily.

Griffin didn't laugh but instead looked back at the bruise, which was turning a lovely shade of purple.

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know I was supposed to," I shrugged.

"So I'm training you to fight Paladins, and you didn't think you were supposed to tell me when you fought one. That makes sense," Griffin said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

I repositioned myself next to him, hugging my knees to my torso and avoiding his eyes.

"Well I sucked big time," I mumbled.

"Well you're alive, so you must not have sucked_ that_ much," he justified.

"Yeah but I ran away," I muttered, "I didn't stay around to fight. I was too afraid."

"It was your first fight. And we're not done training. When I'm done with you, you'll be a fighting machine," Griffin assured me.

It must be the sun getting to his head. The true Griffin would not be sympathetic, or reassuring. I don't know what's happening. And since I wasn't one for very serious moments, I got my way out.

"A fighting machine?" I teased.

"And _this_ is why I'm mean to you," he said, rolling his eyes and standing up.

"Aw, Griffin, don't storm off!" I yelled with a smile.

"You're an pain in the ass!" he called back.

"But I love you baby!"

"Oh shut the hell up!"

"I'm all alone!"

"This is me leaving," he said finally, disappearing from sight.

I couldn't help but smile, knowing that even though his moods were constantly fluctuating, I think Griffin maybe, even if just a little, had started to get used to me.


	11. Chapter 11

_Sorry this took so long! I finally started school (Boo) and things have been busy. Enjoy. :)_

While Griffin made himself presentable, and I teased him for taking enough time to be a girl, I sat on his couch and read. It seemed the only thing that could entertain me these days- I wasn't stable enough to follow TV shows, I couldn't well carry around a collection of movies, and I was far too uncoordinated to play a sport. I did get by on fighting, but that was because there weren't any balls for me to drop.

I finished the paragraph I was reading in _Infinite Jest_ when Griffin came into the room with a scowl.

"Don't just sit there," he said, rolling his eyes as he walked outside.

"Sorry if I was waiting for Your Highness," I called with an eye roll in return, despite the fact that he probably couldn't hear me.

It wasn't that hot out today, which was a very rare occurrence. That would probably change in five minutes when I started to actually move around, but for now I embraced it and stretched a little before turning to face Griffin.

"Jumping practice?" I asked with a yawn.

"Fighting today," Griffin corrected with a grin that only came when he was excited for the prospect of violence.

He handed me my stick and I glared down at it.

"Wonderful," I replied flatly.

I was tired today- there was no way to deny it. I switched my living status every week, but the apartment I've raided as of late has a horribly uncomfortable bed and I tossed and turned all night. I even attempted sleeping on the floor, but the wood was too hard on my back, and the dust was making me sneeze like crazy.

And when I'm sleep deprived, there isn't much you can get out of me.

My point was proven when Griffin knocked me over in mere seconds and I barely blinked before I was on the ground.

"That was _too _easy...even for you."

I shielded my eyes to look up at him, willing my heavy limbs to get up.

"I'm tired," I complained, extending a hand.

Griffin looked at my hand and then me like I had twelve heads. I know he's a socially inept person, but you can't be _that_ out of the loop that you don't know what that means.

"Help me up."

He sighed like it was a big chore and grabbed my hand, hoisting me to my feet.

"Okay, now give me a little bit of a challenge," he teased, jumping beside me quickly.

I used the stick thing (I still didn't have any sort of proper name for it) and tried to hit him, but missed completely as he dodged it, not even by jumping but just maneuvering. I cursed under my breath and tried again, just to miss as I blinked repeatedly and tried not to stumble as Griffin lunged for me.

"What is up with you today?" he asked crossly, glaring at me.

"I didn't sleep much last night?" I offered, leaning against my stick miserably.

"Well, get it together," he demanded.

I stared at him blankly.

"What?" he asked.

"There's something that will make me feel much _much_ better," I sang, looking at him with tired, pleading eyes.

"And what makes you think I care what that is?" he asked back.

"Because I'm much easier to handle when I'm happy?" I asked back with a grin.

He debated this for a moment, and I watched as his eyes flickered left and right and then finally settled on my face. That scowl was always apparent, but I had gotten used to it, and could now even tell when it was meant to be (semi) good-natured.

"Fine, let's go."

-

"What's your biggest pet peeve?" I asked Griffin as we waited on the line at Starbucks.

"Annoying girls who ask too many questions," he replied instantly.

"So...boys that do it are okay?" I asked back with a smile.

He rolled his eyes and moved forward as I followed him dutifully.

"Don't you want to know mine?" I asked.

He kept his eyes forward, reading the menu, or at least pretending to.

The lady in front of the line was killing me. I just wanted my coffee, but no, stupid slow holding up the line lady was taking forever.

"So I'll tell you," I continued, despite his lack of response, "It's when people are waiting on this damn line, and still don't know what to order when they get up there. It's not a life or death decision here, take the five minutes you spent waiting to make your choice and **get something already**," I fumed, watching the lady at the front of the line stammer and pause every few seconds.

"Barbie has a mean streak?" Griffin asked amusedly, raising an eyebrow.

It was my turn to glare at him, shoving him slightly so he fell out of line momentarily.

"I won't hesitate to push you back," he growled, straightening his shirt.

"But you did hesitate, didn't you?" I asked, looking back at him.

He looked strange for a second, and just as he was about to say something, a loud 'Next!' broke into our conversation.

I gave him one last look before walking up to the cashier and ordering. And it took me less than five seconds, stupid slow holding up the line lady. Beat that.

I got my drink and walked over to the table where Griffin was sitting. It was still odd to do civilized, normal things with him, but I think part of him was getting used to it. He didn't even suggest I sit at different tables anymore- that was a plus. He did, however, always press me to go faster and sometimes made fun of my conversation topics, but hey...there's always room for improvement.

I sat down in the crowded café, looking around at the other tables quickly. There was a curly haired boy with a laptop typing away next to us, and a freckled girl craning over a textbook on the other side. Griffin looked out of place in between them, in his beaten up leather jacket and an indifferent look on his face.

I smiled as I sat down, removing the cap to my drink to let it cool.

"You didn't want anything?" I asked, looking over at his empty hands.

"Unlike you, I got plenty of sleep," he shrugged.

"Lucky bastard," I said as seriously as I could, taking a sip of my coffee.

He looked taken aback for a moment, and then I swear I saw the makings of a laugh...before he realized of course, and turned it to a lopsided smirk/cough.

"So, I've been thinking," Griffin said, looking at me suddenly seriously.

"About...?" I urged.

"Well, we've been together for what? A month already?" he asked.

"Oh my god...are you proposing?" I asked in mock surprise.

I expected the glare. I wasn't disappointed.

"As I was saying," he continued, "We've been working for a while. And I've been delaying my own stuff to accommodate you...but I think you're finally ready. So tomorrow, you get some _real_ training."

I stopped blowing on my coffee and looked at him in sudden panic.

"Real? Like, Paladin real?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Exactly."

"But...I can't! I'm not ready, I proved that the last time," I argued, shaking my head.

"That was a fluke. And it was two weeks ago. Plus, I'll be there...I can't make any promises that I'll save your ass, but you have you a better chance of you know...not dying if there's two of us."

"Gee, that's comforting," I said sarcastically.

"C'mon Barbie, tie up your golden hair and get your hands dirty," Griffin said with a smirk.

I looked at him, seeing the excitement in his eyes. I knew it was a big deal- Griffin actually thought I was ready for something serious. And I guess I was...despite everything, Griffin was a good teacher. (I attributed it to the no nonsense policy.)

"I guess," I said somewhat unconvincingly.

"We'll start tomorrow," he said with a nod.

I nodded back, but not quite as vigorously. I felt uneasy about all this, but it was probably just nerves. And if Griffin thought I could do it...well that was as close as encouragement as I could get.

And encouragement from Griffin is a rare thing...you should embrace it when you can. The only problem was, I was still nervous as hell.


	12. Chapter 12

_Not much to say except enjoy. And reviews are loved. ;)  
_

I was on the verge of exploding. There were enough nerves, tension, and fear swirling around in me to cause combustion, and I was afraid that a few more minutes of me shaking would do just that. I was still able to hide it from Griffin, but for some reason, the toughness I normally had an ounce of was gone. Usually when I'm faced with an obstacle, I'm a little nervous, but this time I couldn't get past it.

"We're going in two minutes," Griffin informed me.

I think I nodded back. It's hard to tell when it seems that your body is doing things disconnected from your brain. Why the hell was I so nervous? It was like I was suddenly plagued with a cloud of premonition that somehow this wouldn't end well.

And just for the record, thinking happy thoughts does shit. Because I thought of puppies and sunshine and you know, being alive, and every single time the prospect of death and injury managed to find itself into my scenarios. And a dead puppy is enough to make anyone feel worse...even cat people.

"Okay, we're leaving," Griffin said, cutting into my thoughts.

This was my cue to stand up. Which I did, with wobbly legs and all, and walked over to Griffin who was arching an eyebrow at me.

"Are you sick, Barbie?"

Sick in the head, maybe. And a little in the stomach.

"No," I said regardless. I even shook my head to prove a point.

"Then follow me," he said, jumping.

I took a deep breath and followed his jumpscar.

There was no backing out now. No time to dwell on good, bad, or a medium of the two. It was just a moment to face the challenge head on and not think about outcome, just fight and follow your instincts. Well, my instincts were to hide. So let's go with follow your...training.

I took a good look around. I had absolutely no idea where we were but it looked like a clearing on the edge of a forest. The grass was long and grew a little past my ankles, and the sun stayed hidden behind a mass of clouds in the sky. The forest to the left of us looked foreboding and dangerous, and I hoped that no matter what happened, we wouldn't end up in there.

"They should be here any minute. They're tracking a Jumper and he comes here a lot," Griffin told me.

"How do you find out all this stuff?" I asked, looking around so I wouldn't be surprised by their arrival.

"It's a gift," was all Griffin offered.

I rolled my eyes and continued to look around. A group of birds suddenly rose from the trees, streaking along the blue sky with their black framed wings. I watched them fly and screech, and Griffin nodded his head toward the forest.

I gulped inexplicably long and loud, and kept my eyes trained to the row of trees that I now stood facing.

"Don't forget what you learned, Barbie. You have the advantage- never let them think they do," Griffin said.

I could practically hear the crunching footsteps, but knew it was probably intensified in my mind.

"If you get shocked, do your best to stall time. It's hard to recover if you get hit more than once," Griffin reminded.

His words were suddenly like danger music in a movie, increasing in tempo as something bad drew near.

"And if it gets too bad, get out. Finishing someone off isn't exactly worth the price of dying yourself," he ended.

I could see it now. The outlines of two Paladins were coming into focus, and from behind me, I heard the arrival of the Jumper they were actually looking for. If this all went wrong, the Paladins would hit the jackpot- three for the price of one.

But I was steering clear of negative thoughts, wasn't I?

One last positive thought. You can get through this. Griffin has had more experience with this than anyone- if there's any chance of survival, it's nearly tripled with him here.

They were extending their arms now. Getting ready. I didn't know if I should crouch, or run toward them, or fall back until they got closer. But I didn't really have to do anything, because in just a few moments, it started.

* * *

They were ten feet from me when Griffin said something odd.

"You'll be fine, Ella."

_Ella_. He had never called me Ella once in the entire time he had known me. It sounded strange coming from his mouth. It was strange that he knew it when he nearly pretended not to. That should have been my first clue that something was wrong.

I took my attention away from the Paladins for one second to glance at him.

But I was only looking at the air.

Because he was gone.

I looked quickly in every direction, but Griffin was no where to be seen. And it suddenly all seemed to make sense...he never planned on staying. He had told me I would be fine...and he meant _alone_.

I didn't have time to feel betrayed, or even more nervous than I already was. Because the Paladin was on top of me now and I had to spiral out of the way to avoid his blow.

But I sure as hell had time to feel angry. And I sure as hell put that anger to good use.

* * *

The other Jumper was busy fighting with one Paladin while I was stick with this one. And he was relentless.

We had been going for what seemed like an hour and he made no signs of slowing down. I was panting and on the verge of collapsing, but I was using every ounce of pent up frustration I had to generate the energy to keep moving.

I had a long gash from my neck down my left arm from a nasty hit, but with satisfaction, I had given the Paladin a similar cut on his opposite arm. He had only managed to electrocute me once, but I had recovered from the stinging agony and had thrown his weapon from his grasp. Every time he made a move for it, I would detain him, but if he got too close, I'd try to destroy it.

I didn't know how much longer I could last here.

It was now just a game of me jumping around and trying to get close enough to hurt the Paladin without him hurting me. We were both getting frustrated.

I let my feet crunch the grass underneath them as the Paladin lunged at me. I tried to move, but he made contact and sent us both sprawling into the ground.

His weight on me was heavy and I knew that it would be hard for me to use the hundred or so pounds I had to maneuver him off of me. I could see his features scrunched up in determination, sweat clinging to his brow, and a crooked look twisted into his mouth.

I spit in his face.

Not quite expecting that, he reached a hand to wipe it away and I kneed him in the groin, causing him to double over and roll off of me.

I stood above him, panting myself, and knew that this was my chance. But I didn't know if I could take it.

Could I kill him? Could I kill this man who might have children somewhere? Who might have a wife, or a mother, or a sister who loved him and didn't even know about this life that he led? Or did he live alone? Did his family know exactly who he was? Did they disapprove of it, or join in?

It's hard to kill someone when you rationalize it, because either way you look at it, something is going to be wrong.

I took another look down at the writhing man, and before I knew it, something hard was hitting me from behind.

Before I knew it, my face was hitting the dirt. I choked from the air being knocked out of me, and felt the fierce sting that hit every joint that had fallen hard. I looked through my hair to see the Paladin I had been fighting staggering to his feet.

With gut wrenching, heart speeding, bile tasting fear, I realized I had been double teamed.

The other Jumper must have gotten away and now I was left with two.

I had no chance to win now. And there was no shame in leaving an unfair fight. But as soon as I got a hold of myself, electricity hit me.

Every vein pulsed. Every brain synapse fizzled. Every coherent thought turned to confusing turned to mush. I sank farther into the grass and soil and noticed with painful realization that I was nearly digging my own grave...literally.

It got worse as he hit me again. I wanted to tear out my hair, scratch out my eyes, bang my fists against something. It was attacking every inch of me, no part was left not shaking, not aching, not itching to torture. **I just wanted it to stop**.

Last time I had thought those magical words, Griffin had come to the rescue. But where was he now? Sitting, playing video games while my reflexes and consciousness faded? Eating a snack as my brain lost my body? Driving a fancy car while I waited for death to come?

I felt the effects fizzling away and braced myself for another hit, but it didn't come.

I opened my eyes. My entire body felt like jello, shaking and not steady, and still feeling the aftershocks of intense electricity pouring through me like I was a human wire. But the immense agony had stopped...for now.

I looked around. The Paladins were next to me, ready to hit. I wondered what made them stop. I tried, using every fiber of my being, to jump. But it was too hard. I needed a few more seconds.

And before I had a chance to try again, there was a new man standing above me. His white hair looked unnatural as his dark eyes squinted down at me. I shivered, but not from the look in his eyes...no.

What really scared me was the knife in his hand.


	13. Chapter 13

_So here's a new one! There's a possibility you might all still yell at me after this one too. But you have to read and find out. ;)  
_

I've heard that when you lose one of your senses, the others become heightened. Well, that was sort of the case now, except I hadn't lost any...they just all seemed amplified.

I could see every fine line on his face, every wrinkle, every mark. I watched his eyelids blink and every last eyelash touch the lower lid before they reopened. I watched his strange expression and how his eyes didn't even hold compassion for the fact that he was about to shock me again and then send a knife through my body.

I could hear everything around me. As if the animals had sensed danger, they all became quiet, so every sniff, whimper, and rustle of movement was like a scream echoing in an empty hallway.

I could smell every scent like it was right in front of me. The early morning smell of dew. The perspiration dripping off the man who craned over me. The smell of trees that used to remind me of Christmas but would now just remind me of this horrible moment.

I could hear the words he was saying like a bell ringing in my head. "You are not supposed to have this power. Only God should."

I could feel the damp grass through my shirt. I could feel the pulses that hadn't even passed through my body. And most of all...I felt scared.

I had been scared so many times in my life, but when it came down to it, I was never afraid of dying. I knew that it was going to happen one day, and maybe it would be an accident, or maybe it would be my time, but either way it was inevitable and I shouldn't run away from it.

But when I was here, face to face with my pending mortality, things came into scary, life-affirming, who the hell am I trying to kid, focus.

"We've been looking for you for a long time," the man said, raising his arm.

I knew that I might not be able to win. But I should be able to bid my time, maybe just a little.

"Oh yeah? Well I wasn't exactly hiding, so you must have just been doing a shitty job," I said nonchalantly.

I was able to keep my voice steady and not trembling, which wasn't the easiest of tasks to do when even my insides were shaking and my heart was beating three times as fast as it should. I even tried to shrug, but it was a pretty hard thing to do with your body being pressed into the ground.

"You may not have been hiding but you _were_ jumping," he said, hovering over me still.

I wondered if this was how babies always looked at people. With their stupid faces craning down, noses upturned, things disproportioned. No wonder they cried all the time.

"I didn't ask to be a Jumper. It just happened," I said, teeth clenched.

"And that's a happening that we're trying to correct," he said with a smirk.

I sensed the finality in his words and knew that I wasn't as smooth a talker as I wished myself to be. I tried to move my arms, my legs, anything, but before I knew it, he was shocking me to all hell.

Blues swirled.

Reds danced.

Motions increased.

Senses fizzled, heightened, fizzled.

Functions wavered.

You think it would be better the hundredth time around, but it wasn't. My body was already so weak that these pulses were intense beyond my mind's recognition. This was it. If I was going to get away, it would have to be now. Another shock was going to be too much.

I was slowly fading back now...but what I was coming back to? Death?

There were so many things I haven't done. So many places I haven't seen. My life had become a near solitary existence, and I didn't want to die like that. I didn't want to die knowing that my only friend had left me here, and that he was the only one that would even detect my absence.

"Why punish us?" I choked, writhing slightly on the ground. "You obviously believe that God should have this power...but who do you think gave it to us?"

I barely spewed the words out. I was clawing the ground now as the feeling subsided slightly, but I felt the satisfaction from the silence I received.

But it wasn't the quiet, comfortable silence. It was a tense, glaring one. And soon it was broken.

"I've always thought about what my last words would be."

I looked up at the man who was now talking again. He ran a hand through his ridiculous white hair as I glared at him.

"What a shame that yours had to be such a ridiculous question," he said cruelly.

And the knife plunged.

* * *

**Griffin.**

I thought about showing up to save the day, but that's not really the kind of guy I am.

White horse riding, Prince Charming Griffin? Yeah fucking right.

Barbie could handle herself. I researched those Paladins and they really weren't a big deal. My bets that the other Jumper will lead the one guy away, and Ella can finish off number two.

Besides, I saved her once. Twice and I'll be helping her too much. She needs to learn how to defend herself if she's going to survive as a Jumper. For when she's alone and I'm _really_ not there.

It's not like I worry about things. Relationships are overrated, no matter what kind. Sure, I've wanted them in the past. But after seeing how much they can fuck up your life and everybody else's, I don't need them.

The trick to survival is doing it on your own. Everybody can live in groups, save each other. But how many people can save themselves?

When it comes down to it, you can only care about yourself. People get in the way. People are baggage. People are excess worry and tension. People can drive you crazy and cause you heartache and grief.

People leave.

But you never leave. No matter how hard you try, you can't escape yourself.

I paced for a while. I figured she'd be here after all was said and done. Sure, she'd be bloody angry with me, but Ella was the type that would forget about it in her success and come tell me every detail, whether I wanted it or not. She'd probably even throw in something stupid and overdramatic and laugh at her own joke, but I'm just guessing here...she's a weird girl.

When minutes passed and nothing happened, I decided to play a game.

I fished the controller out of the tangled wire and turned on the screen. It was mindless and I was getting restless with this particular game. I'd have to pick myself up a new one the next time I...went _shopping_. I figured it wasn't stealing if you stole shit that nobody good was going to miss.

I played for a long time. Levels flew past me and I died a few times, but I managed to play and play and...play.

I didn't have a clock in here but I guess it had to be hours at this point. My stomach was growling, but I think I should stay here. Not to wait or anything, but you know, just so she doesn't think I abandoned her completely.

Well, who the hell am I kidding? I don't care _what_ she thinks. I'm just going to stay here because I don't feel like going out.

Besides, I've still got a few more levels to go.

Any second now, her annoying voice should be echoing through the place.


	14. Chapter 14

_So thanks for all not killing me after yet another cliffhanger! None this time, I promise. The next one should be slightly better though. Enjoy regardless. ;)  
_

Something kicked in. I don't know how my reflexes weren't burned beyond the point of recognition, but somehow I moved the smallest bit and the knife didn't hit my chest.

But it sure as hell didn't miss entirely.

A fresh rip of agony pierced through my arm as the blade protruded from my shoulder. Training with Griffin could not have possibly prepared me for the shear pain that was now throbbing and spreading. I couldn't even hold back the scream that erupted.

The man who had just shoved it through my flesh looked down at my even angrier than he was before. His face was set in a stony wrinkled frown with blazing eyes, and I knew that next time, he wouldn't miss.

"You can't escape this," he breathed, looking down as I writhed and clenched my teeth, trying to think of anything, **anything** but the pain from the knife that was still embedded in me.

"This is what has to happen," the man said, reaching down for round two.

But I didn't let him get the chance to try again. I jumped without thinking.

* * *

I didn't want to be here. It was the last place I would have gone with a conscious mind, but I had jumped here so much it had practically become reflex. That's why you should never jump on such a random impulse unless you want to end up...well, in my case, with Griffin.

I tried jumping again, but I had barely gotten here in the first place. My body was already screaming in pain, and it couldn't take being moved again.

In fact, I'm pretty sure I just collapsed on the floor in a tilted heap. That's why my face is currently pressed against the ground. I'm not really sure though. Everything is getting fuzzy.

My face felt vaguely cold, but the entire rest of my body was burning. I felt a sense of echo encase me, like everything was far away and I was simply getting the reverberations. I think I heard the television, but I couldn't separate my mind from the sounds in the air.

I let my mind slip away as the pain in my shoulder pulsed with my heart. Haze overtook me. Nothing made sense, but there was nothing to make sense of. There were only colors. Reds, and blues, and greens. They swirled and sank and encircled me.

I let my eyes close.

* * *

I don't know how long passed until I cracked my eyes open. Comprehension flowed back. And then the pain.

Oh, the pain.

I moved my head the smallest inch and saw the handle of the knife sticking out my shoulder. I winced and looked away. If I thought too hard about it, my head started to swirl and my stomach turn, and the last thing I needed right now was to throw up.

I tried to move. The farthest I got was into a semi-crouching position before the pain in my arm became too much and I collapsed again.

I let my palms hit the floor and the pain from that shot up my arm and intensified in my shoulder. I blinked a few times to get rid of the red that was encroaching on my vision.

"Barbie?"

I couldn't even look up, but quite frankly, I didn't want to see him anyway.

"Shit, you're bleeding all over."

"Hadn't...noticed," I choked, coughing as I tried to speak.

I saw his feet appear next to me and suddenly his face as he craned to look at my shoulder.

"Holy fu..._oh_...the knife's still there," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Really, Griffin? I hadn't seen that handle you know...as it stuck out from my goddamn arm," I choked once more.

"Someone's hostile when they're in pain," he huffed.

I shot him the angriest look I could muster as I practically tried to keep my head up.

"I didn't know Roland would be there, or I never would left you alone," he said, narrowing his eyes as he examined my shoulder.

I let a sharp hiss of pain out as he pressed down.

"Sorry...you might need a real doctor. I just don't know how we'll explain this," he said strangely.

I felt my consciousness fading again and my body slumped down to the floor.

"Hey, stay awake now," I heard Griffin say, his voice fading in and out.

_I can't_, I wanted to say. _It's too hard._

Nothing came out.

"We need to take out the knife, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stop the bleeding," he said.

I let my eyes slowly close.

"Ella, stay with me."

Sorry, Griffin. That's one thing I can't do.

* * *

This time when I woke up, things were clearer than before. Colors were aligned, boundaries stayed together, and the beeping I heard was close and constant.

I looked around at the white walls and machines. _He took me to a hospital._

I didn't actually expect Griffin to put too much time or effort into caring too much about my life. I like to be optimistic but Griffin has a way of proving just about positive theory I have wrong.

I smiled slightly as I looked at the IV in my arm. I looked back up though, and a thought struck me again.

_He left me here_.

I guess it wasn't quite the big surprise, but that doesn't mean a twinge of disappointment didn't hit me.

Twinge...pain...I looked down at my shoulder. It was bandaged heavily, stiff, and sore, but the sting and pulse was gone. Thank you modern medicine. I've never been so grateful to anything in my entire life.

I let my eyes scan around the room. No doctors were in here, so I guess I was stable. I must look like an absolute mess. First, fighting, then rolling around on the ground, and then getting stabbed.

It's been a long day.

I looked out at the window to the right of me. Night was falling now. The bright light reflected off the walls in my room, but the darkness was taking over outside. I couldn't help but feel relief that this day was ending.

As I spent the next few minutes with only my thoughts, I couldn't help but feel lonely. Sure, I was pretty much always alone, but something about laying here made this time feel entirely different.

When you're walking down the crowded street, you feel better about being alone. When you're eating dinner or taking a shower in an apartment, it's okay being alone. Even watching a movie is okay alone. But sitting as you think about one of the hardest days of your life? It feels like a moment where you should have someone, _anyone_, to talk to.

I fiddled around with my hands. I looked around for the remote, but it was nowhere in sight. I thought about paging a nurse, but because there wasn't really a dire need for it, I decided against it.

I saw a glass of water on the bedside table and began to reach for it, my throat feeling suddenly dry.

I heard the door creak open mid-stretch and I let my eyes turn to it, hoping to see a doctor. But it wasn't one.

Instead, it was a betraying, insensitive, cocky, (life-saving) jerk, who had the audacity to be smiling at me right now.

"Welcome back, Barbie."

...I hated him.


	15. Chapter 15

_How much do you love me for updating so quickly!?  
_

"So, how does a _real_ injury feel?" Griffin asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

I glared at him, subconsciously shifting my shoulder which actually was feeling a lot better. But I certainly wasn't going to answer.

"Aw, c'mon Barbie, don't tell me you're going to hold a bloody grudge," he said, rolling his eyes.

The accent I used to like just seemed annoying now. And that pleading look in his eyes that I used to hope for, the spark of vulnerability, had completely lost their meaning.

"So what now? You're just going to blame me for everything?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

I took a deep breath this time, and decided that the silent treatment would not be effective. Suddenly, I had a lot to say.

"I don't blame you for not knowing what was going to happen," I started calmly. "I blame you for leaving me there just knowing that something horrible could happen."

"So you want me to predict the future?" he asked cruelly.

I felt my jaw tighten at his response, and felt the need to glare at him again.

"**No**," I said forcefully, "But you knew that there would be two Paladins there. That I could get double-teamed."

"How would I know that? And those Paladins were not the problem here, it was Roland," he pointed out.

"I might have gotten away before he got there if both those Paladins didn't start attacking me, so yeah, they were part of the problem," I retorted.

"If that other Jumper stuck around, it wouldn't have been so bad," Griffin tried to wave it off.

"Why should he have stuck around? If he could get away, I don't blame him for doing so."

"Yeah, get himself away and leave a poor girl there. That asshole must have a heart of gold," Griffin said sarcastically.

"I didn't see you doing anything," I said pointedly.

"Well I couldn't do-"

"Exactly, you couldn't do anything, Griffin," I cut him off, "You know why? _Because you weren't there._ After I reassured myself that at least I'd have someone experienced with me, you left."

"I never told you that I'd always be there. How are you going to _do_ things on your own if you haven't _learned_ how to do things on your own?" he shot.

"I'm all for self-education, but a warning might have been nice. Perhaps even a few more days so I felt better prepared. Because I don't think I'd have a knife in me if my training had gone well," I said, clenching my teeth.

"You were ready, you just made some stupid moves-"

"I did not make stupid moves. I was surrounded and I survived."

"So what are you complaining about?" he asked, throwing his hands in the air.

My eyes widened at him, and I felt the sudden urge to throw something very, very heavy at his huge, empty head.

"What am I complaining about? You're ridiculous!"

"I'm ridiculous!? I'm not the one yelling at the person who, by the way, saved my life. Who had to make up a ridiculous story about a cooking accident, who had to put up with the freaking person they didn't want to train in the first place, and who is now regretting ever saying yes to anything at all!" he yelled angrily.

"Well I'm so sorry that my life is such a burden on yours. I know how it's really been a strain, you know, in between all your other friends and relationships," I said, shaking my head in frustration.

"This is the perfect example of why I don't do things for other people. Favors just blow up in your fucking face!" he yelled, getting to his feet.

"Favors? You call what you did for me a _favor?_" I asked.

"Just shut up, Ella. You said that as soon as training was done, you'd be get the hell out of my life," Griffin said, "Well consider training **completed**."

He gave me one last angry look before slamming the door which swung open forcefully.

And then he was gone.

* * *

I'd pretty much spent the last twenty minutes staring at the wall. There wasn't much else I could really do. And I was thinking a lot anyway.

I thought about the entire time that I'd been with Griffin. I knew that he was cynical, and bitter, and sarcastic. I knew that he wasn't perfect or a knight in shining armor, but I guess deep down, I always hoped he wasn't _all _bad.

I think that's why I was hurt when he left. I was afraid that it was confirming that Griffin was just an insensitive jerk, and that even though I had tried to wear that down, it hadn't worked.

I just wanted to know why the hell I cared so much. Worse things have happened to me, but somehow, this is making me feel **crazy**. My stomach feels like it's in a million knots and my heart is actually hurting my ribcage because it's pounding so furiously when I think about how angry I am.

What was wrong with me?

I didn't have a chance to think much longer though, because soon the door was opening and a nurse was bustling inside. She was probably in her fifties, with bright pink scrubs and slightly graying hair. She smiled instantly when she saw me, immediately coming over to my side.

"Oh good, you're awake! How are you feeling sweetie?" she asked, pouring me a glass of water from the jug on the table.

"Uh...okay. Much better, at least," I said, trying my best to smile at her.

"Well I should hope so. That sounds like a terrible accident you had with that knife. And you were just trying to make a nice dinner for your boyfriend," she said, shaking head.

Boyfriend? Is that what Griffin had said, or what she assumed? Either way, I felt myself slightly blush.

"Things always seem to happen that way," I said, chuckling a little for her benefit.

I felt bad that this nice nurse actually believed the lie, and actually felt a small bit of guilt. I supposed I couldn't tell her the truth anyway, but still.

"Yes they do. You gave us quite the scare too. You were allergic to one of the medications the doctors tried to use. I was afraid that your boyfriend was going to be kicked out of the hospital," she said, shaking her head.

I wrinkled my brow in confusion, watching her check the beeping machines around me.

"What did he do?" I asked, looking at her strangely.

"Oh well...he'll probably tell you himself when he gets back," she said.

Even if he was coming back, he probably still wouldn't tell me.

"He probably won't. Was it bad?" I urged, hoping she would tell me.

"Well, it is quite the story..."

_Griffin sat in the waiting room, cracking his knuckles impatiently. He had just made a lame ass excuse to the doctor about what happened to Ella, but figured they'd buy him being her boyfriend and let it pass._

_He had been sitting in this uncomfortable chair for who knows how long, waiting for them to say anything. She just had a stupid shoulder wound, what the hell was taking them so long?_

_He tapped his dirty shoes against the white linoleum, ignoring the dirty looks of the old couple that was sitting across from him and eyeing his tattered jacket and dark look._

_Before he had a chance to do anything else, the doors opened beside him and a doctor walked out, removing his mask._

_"So?" Griffin asked, standing up._

_"We stitched up the wound, but there were some complications," the doctor said._

_"Complications? What the hell does that mean?" Griffin asked, glaring at him._

_"Well, it's nearly under control."_

_"Cut to the chase," Griffin said._

_"Well it's a normally entirely safe procedure, but the surgeon accidentally caused some bleeding from her-"_

_"I don't need the details that I probably won't understand. Short way please?" Griffin asked impatiently._

_"It's nothing to worry about, she just had an allergic reaction to one of the medications, and we're having a hard time waking her up from the anesthesia."_

_"I'd say that's worth worrying about," Griffin said angrily._

_"We're working to stabilize her now, sir, so there's no need to-"_

_"To what? Get angry that you nearly killed her from a 'simple procedure'?"_

_"We had everything under control, I can assure you."_

_"Yeah, sounds like it," Griffin scoffed._

_"I know this is just the worry talking," the doctor offered._

_"No, this is the anger talking," Griffin said with clenched teeth._

_"Please do not make a scene," the doctor said, looking around at the people watching their conversation._

_"You want a scene?" Griffin asked, grabbing a fistful of the doctor's shirt._

_"This is not a good idea. I can call security."_

_Griffin looked down at the doctor who was now sending him a mixed look of anger and worry. He looked around at the people who were now staring at him with wide eyes._

_He rolled his eyes and let go of the doctor, sighing. Any other day he would have done something, but he didn't feel like getting kicked out of the hospital. _

_"Just let me know when she wakes up."_

I started wide eyed at the nurse as she finished the story. The entire time I couldn't help but feel a strange sensation stirring in my chest.

So, what was wrong with me now?

...I think I liked Griffin.


	16. Chapter 16

_Sorry this isn't more exciting, but it's been so long so...better than nothing? :) OH, did anyone notice the nice new **Jumper category**?? Goodbye Misc. Movies, hello accomplishment._

I had been looking for Roland for...as long as I can remember. And the one time I turn my fucking back, he shows up- and stabs Barbie in the process? What kind of sick joke is being played on me right now? If I showed up, I could have prevented the whole thing, and gotten my chance at Roland.

If only I wasn't so goddamn stupid, I would have seen something like this happening. Barbie had gone virtually her whole life without being found, and it was going to happen sooner or later.

_Ella_. Why the hell do I keep thinking about her? She's out of my life, and it's for the better. She wanted to defend herself, and now she can. Alone.

I wondered if she was already out of the hospital. Probably not. They would probably keep her at least four days for an injury like that.

I rolled my eyes and decided I needed a distraction. I was already sick of the video game I got. I wasn't in the mood to go for a run, and I really wasn't hungry.

I slipped on my shoes and walked around for a second before getting the perfect idea.

I jumped to my favorite car dealership which just so happened to be closed for two hours already. I picked out one at random, not bothering to be picky this time.

The outside was sleek and silver, the upholstery black leather. I could tell that tomorrow, someone would really be missing this car- and that made it so much better.

I revved the engine and tore down the street, sliding in between cars and letting the sound of the motor drown out my thoughts.

Maybe tomorrow I'd go see her- just for a second, if I had the time. Just to make sure she was, you know, still alive. But I wasn't going to talk to her. I'd bet she'd just love that. It was, what? October 1st tomorrow? I didn't have anything important.

Who the hell was I kidding, I never have any appointments or shit to look at like those people on TV.

I'd just have a look in. Ask a nurse really quickly. And then I'd be gone, for good.

-

The man had his hand over his face, a tense silence in the air as everybody waited for him to say something. His eyes were hidden by his palms, but if they weren't shielded a look of anger and malice would be showing.

The group waited, none of them daring to say anything before the man spoke.

As soon as another long silence passed, the man finally slid his hand away and looked around at the people surrounding him.

"I don't know how we let it get to this," he said, voice a mix of calmness and force.

There was a small murmur, but nothing entirely comprehensible before he continued.

"We have neglected her for eighteen years because she's been all over the radar, and now we find her and fail?"

Nobody dared point out that it was seemingly his fault. They just let him continue.

"She wouldn't be able to bandage that wound herself. And we'll use that to our advantage to find her."

Everyone listened intently as he spoke their plan.

"Call the hospitals in every place we know she's been. Tomorrow is October 1st, so we know she's probably been there for a day or two. I don't care if you have to pretend to be an aunt, uncle, brother, or sister. We **will **find her."

Everyone began to scramble to get to work, but just before leaving, his voice rang out again.

"We'll make sure this _doesn't_ happen again."

-

It was day two here and I already felt almost back to normal. If I closed my eyes and moved my shoulder a little, I could pretend it was just sore from me sleeping on it wrong, instead of you know, having a knife sticking out of it. The nurse told me that they would probably discharge me in a day or two with some meds, and check back in a little to make sure it wasn't infected.

Either way, I knew I wouldn't be coming back.

I don't know if it was the drugs or the situation, but suddenly I felt everything come crashing down on me.

I was in the hospital. The one place that nobody wants to be in alone...and that's entirely what I was. I didn't have anyone to care about me, to visit me, to call and check up on me. I had to lie and say that my family was on vacation just so the nurse wouldn't get suspicious. But I never, ever felt guilty for lying. I felt desperate for having to.

I thought about every word out of my mouth in the past 48 hours.

I'm still under my mother's insurance, but she's on vacation so I told her not to worry about it. **Lie**.

Oh, my boyfriend? He's interning with a company and they went on a business trip. That's actually why I was making him dinner that night. **Lie**.

Yeah, it was a really strange accident. But I've always been clumsy, so it's not a total shock. **Lie**. (about the accident part, at least.)

Nurse Clark was nothing but nice to me and I was nothing but phony to her. But that ashamed feeling always faded away when I thought about my life. I would never be normal. I could never tell these people the truth. I couldn't go to college, I couldn't get a job, I couldn't get a house. They wouldn't understand that the accidents I had were never quite accidents at all.

I was afraid at night. I knew that Roland would be angry, and I knew that he probably wouldn't miss a second time. I knew that the longer I stayed here, the more dangerous things got.

So I made a plan to leave tonight.

October 1, the scene of my big escape plan. Oh, and the day I turn nineteen.

Happy fucking birthday to me.


	17. Chapter 17

_Yessssss, so quick. :) I deserve some extra reviews for that, huh? Sorry if there are any mistakes, I only did a quick proofread. Anyhoo, enjoy._

As the day passed, I tried to think of a thrilling escape plan. Pathetic, I know, but this is what my life is reduced to these days.

I knew I had to wait for the nighttime. Nurse Clark only had me on the day shift, and at night, the nurse was crabbier and came in less frequently. Plus, there was the whole, cover of darkness thing, to really set the mood.

I knew that somehow, I would have to get some pain medication to last me at least a few days. My shoulder still twinged at the touch and the movement, and if I was on the run I couldn't exactly stop and deal with it.

I knew that all I had to do was jump, but the ultimate question was where I should go.

I tried to think as I stared at the room that had become familiar in the past few days. If only I had a full proof plan, a set destination, a promise that I would be okay, even for only a day or two. Anything to set my mind at ease.

I couldn't help but think that if Griffin was here he would somehow have all the answers. Well, not necessarily the answers, but at least the cocky attitude to make it _seem_ like he knew all the answers. Jumping around all the time sort of heightened my sense of attachment when I did stick around places. Not to say that I was attached to Griffin...but I didn't, you know, _not_ miss him.

Either way, it wasn't really a topic I liked to think about too much. Not unless it involved some serious apologies and ass kissing, which I knew it never would.

More than once, I thought about doing something that Griffin (can't seem to ignore the annoying bastard) had done, by taking up residence in the middle of nowhere. But somehow, that just didn't seem right to me.

Griffin stayed there to hide from Paladins, sure, but he ended up hiding from everyone else. Not to mention that Griffin actually fought back- tracked and followed. All I would be doing was bidding my time, because I sure as hell could not follow anyone for my life. I'd probably fall over my feet and be dead in a few days.

As I continued to think about one faulty plan or another, I didn't seem to notice that night was slowly growing closer. It wasn't dark yet, but the sun was setting, and I knew that plan or no plan, I had to get moving.

Nurse Clark, seeming to echo my wishes, walked in at that exact moment. I knew what I was about to do was definitely going to leave me guilty later, but I had no other choice.

"Hello, Ella, I just wanted to check on you before I left," she said kindly, bustling in with her clipboard and a bright smile.

That made it all the more harder.

"Thanks, Nurse Clark," I said appreciatively, "I'm actually feeling a bit worse."

"Worse? What's the matter?" she asked, checking the beeping machines around me hurriedly.

"It's just my shoulder...it tends to act up at night," I said with a straight face, "But the night nurse always tells me it's my imagination."

"Your imagination?" she huffed, frowning, "Mildred should _not_ be accusing patients like that."

"Well, she seems strict and all, but it really hurts sometimes," I sighed.

"Well, don't you worry. I'll tell you what- I'm going to get some of your pills right now. I'll leave them right on your bedside table, so if anything hurts, you go ahead and take them," she offered.

"Oh, that would be great," I breathed, "Thank you so much."

"No problem, dear. I'll be right back," she said with another smile.

I watched her leave, my face immediately falling. My stomach was already twisting in knots- I wasn't used to lying this much, and I really didn't like it.

But there was nothing I could do now.

-

Four pills tucked safely into my pockets, I looked all around the room. The lights were off, so only the dim glow of a lamp cast shadows across the walls. The night nurse had just checked in, but I was pretending to sleep so she was gone in a few minutes.

I did one last double take before walking into the bathroom.

I splashed my face with cold water, taking a good look at myself- something I hadn't done in ages. My hair, once vibrant blonde, seemed somewhat duller. It was growing way past my shoulders now, so I tied it up quickly to keep it out of my face. I patted my face dry, the tan I got from working out in the sun faded from the past few days spent indoors.

I placed my hands on the edge of the sink, reveling in the cool touch to their warmth. I couldn't wait for Fall to start, when the leaves changed and the air cooled.

I was about to jump when I suddenly realized that I wasn't wearing any shoes. Being socked for a few days straight must have messed with my perception.

Creeping back to my room, I squinted around the floor. I knew that I asked the Nurse to bring them in a few days ago- but where the hell were they?

Tripping into the leg of the chair, I cursed silently, and continued my hunched over search. I spotted my beat up sneakers next to the door and was picking them up when it suddenly swung open.

It hit my back squarely and sent me toppling over, hitting the ground with a thud.

I barely registered my stinging hands and band over the fear of the nurse finding me, but my worry immediately turned to confusion as I heard his voice.

"Shit Barbie, what are you doing?"

Skepticism to recognition and back to confusion.

"Griffin?" I choked, rubbing my knees and looking up at him. "What are **you** doing?"

His last words hadn't really left much of an indication that he would be returning. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I could still hear the finality of** completed** ringing in my ears. It didn't stop my heart from beating twice as fast.

"I, uh," he said, scratching his neck, "Thought you'd be sleeping."

I narrowed my eyes at him, tilting my head.

"Well thanks, that explains it all."

I got to my feet, shoes in hand as I tried to ignore my mind screaming two opposite things, that I somehow liked him and wanted him gone all at the same time.

"I hit you with the door?" he questioned.

"No, I normally sleep on the floor," I said, rolling my eyes.

I shoved my shoes on my feet and took a long look at him.

"Where are you going?" he asked forcefully.

"Away from you."

I gave him one last smirk before I jumped. Realizing I had nowhere to actually go I simply went to the yard in the front of the hospital- I had been walking there today.

"What the hell, are you Ice Queen Barbie now?"

I almost didn't expect him to follow me, but I almost wasn't surprised.

I raised my eyes slowly to reach his, both of us emitting an equally deadly stare.

"You have the audacity to call me out on being rude when that's all you _ever_ are? To me, or anybody! And in case you wondering, the last conversation we had wasn't friendly, and it certainly wasn't an invitation to return. I'm not going to sit here and act like nothing happened, because unlike you, I have human emotions and feelings which you happened to have hurt. So yes, I am going to mean, and I'm not going to forgive and forget, at least not without a little effort, if that's not too much to ask."

It was the first time I had actually been so direct and Griffin-like to Griffin himself. And the look on his face told me so.

I almost enjoyed the way he fumbled for words and shifted his weight.

"I...don't...it's not-"

But he never had a chance to finish that sentence.

I barely even heard the footsteps. But I would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Oh good, you're both here. Saves me some time- kill two Jumpers with one knife."


	18. Chapter 18

I should be doing applications, but I updated instead! =] Yay for procrastination. Enjoy some Grella now.

* * *

Thanks to the rising bile in my throat and the stale taste of air inhaled too sharply, I now knew what fear tasted like.

Every limb in my body froze as Griffin tensed beside me, slowly turning around. I tried to do the same, but could barely quiver in the right direction. I picked up my heavy feet and saw that Roland was flanked by two large Paladins. My heart didn't stand a chance before it started beating erratically.

Nobody spoke in those few seconds, and I nearly choked on the silence. But I found that the gratefulness of breaking it didn't exactly help anything at all.

"Griffin," I said, gulping quietly.

"What?" he snarled, not taking his eyes off Roland.

"Do you think we can do this?" I asked.

As the question fell from my lips, the Paladins immediately began coming upon us, paces fast and eyes stern and cold.

"Looks like we don't have a choice," Griffin uttered before moving himself.

I watched in nearly a daze as Griffin took a first hit, dodging one Paladin narrowly while the other took his own swing. I flinched as the second one made contact with Griffin's face, making him stagger backward. My stomach gave a lurch as I moved forward.

Trying to ignore the throb in my shoulder, I leaned towards my good side. Roland was now coming toward me.

I wasn't exactly equipped to deal with high stress, high danger situations so frequently together, so I could already feel my mind going on overdrive. I tried to have a positive attitude about it, but let's face it...

I'm gonna freaking die.

I almost closed my eyes as Roland got closer, as every ounce of recollect of training and bravery slowly drained away. But just as Roland came into striking distance, a hard mass hit him from behind.

A hard mass with messy hair and a bad attitude, that is.

Roland was taken off guard by Griffin and I nearly smiled, except I suddenly remembered what that meant for me- two angry Paladins.

I turned in the opposite direction, taking Griffin's curses and insults as a good sign behind me.

I saw that Griffin must have been a better fighter than I thought, because one Paladin was already knocked out cold. The other was staggering to his feet, even angrier than before, but luckily for me, he looked hurt.

I tried to surpass his gray stare, the blood dripping from his cracked lips, and his fists that were now curling. I focused on my own two feet, my own clenched jaw, and my fists to match his own.

And the thump of my heart. I tried to repeat comfort in tune with it. _Don't Die. Don't Die. Don't Die. _

Five fingers curled as tightly as they could- and they were flying at my face.

I ducked before I knew what I was doing, narrowly missing the pack of knuckles that were aiming for my nose. I retaliated as quickly as I could- right where it would hurt most.

The Paladin clutched himself and fell to the floor, cursing me. I smiled down with satisfaction, but knew it wasn't the end.

"You little bitch," he spat, knees digging into the ground.

"Wow you'd hit _and_ insult a girl? I feel bad if you have a wife," I said, smirking.

It's easy to be confident when your opponent is on his knees. It's not so easy when he's starting to get up.

I knew the next few seconds were crucial so I tried to save myself a little more time and sent another punch to his face. The crunch was sickening and my hand certainly felt it.

"You fuc- oh my sh- my nose," the man choked, grabbing his face and nursing the wound.

I was about to do another mini-gloat in my head, but I'm glad I didn't, because I would have been wrong in about a minute when his foot shot out and knocked me off my feet.

The ground wasn't nearly as painful as the shooting pain that erupted in my shoulder. I bit my lip so hard that it bled, but I didn't want my scream to give away the true agony that was pulsing throughout my arm. Shots of hot pins and needles bubbled and spilled over when I moved the slightest inch, and I had to get up or else I'd just be hit again.

Staggering, I got to my feet just as the other Paladin did. My heart started doing that beating fast thing again, so I just repeated the same words to myself- _Don't Die. Don't Die. Don't Die._

And then, the worst thing possible happened- he took out his weapons.

It's amazing how you can react even when you're not really aware what's happening. But somehow, I dodged that burst of electricity. All I could think about was how painful it was coursing through my body- and how much worse it would probably be when I was already in so much pain.

I let my throbbing arm stay to my side as I wielded back the other, aiming for the Paladin, but missing entirely. He dodged it easily and sent another shot of electricity my way.

I think I felt sparks with how close that one was.

My adrenaline was keeping me alert and on my feet, but my mind was another story. It kind of wanted to run away and hide under a rock until Griffin told me it was safe to come out. But that wasn't going to happen- I could hear him cursing behind me.

I took another shot as quickly as I could and managed to hit the Paladin on the ear, and the split second he was facing the other way, I gave his...electrifier? a good sharp kick.

Sputtering, the thing went flying and the man reached for it. I knew that if he got it again, I couldn't dodge it all day.

So I tackled him, thinking slightly of the time I did so to Griffin.

Of course, it didn't work so well this time. My hundred or so pounds weren't nearly enough to take him down, so it sort of turned into a messed up piggy-back ride. The man tried to shake me off and I held on tightly, putting my hands around his neck. I had no intention of choking him- there was no doubt in my mind that I'd even be able to- but I just wanted to scare him a little bit.

The only problem was, Mr. Scared Paladin became Mr. Even Angrier Paladin in about 2.4 seconds, and I was immediately wrenched and thrown off his back.

As a red haze painted my vision and my shoulder was sent into another frenzy, I tried to focus. You certainly don't see stars when you're hit, but you do see differently. And not in a good way.

I tried to get to my feet, but I collapsed quickly. I rubbed my head and went to attempt again when I looked where the man had thrown me- right next to what he was trying to get.

I picked it up and ran my fingers across it. It didn't seem too hard to use, and I didn't exactly have practice time, because the Paladin was coming toward me at...a pretty alarming rate.

So I aimed, and fired.

Taken aback, the Paladin collapsed to the floor, body pulsating with electricity as he moaned loudly. Knowing that might not be enough, I did it one more time for safe measure.

This was the worst form of torture to me, because I knew just how that felt. I would never want to inflict it upon anyone, but I did value my life so...it had to be done.

As the man twitched, his groans dying out, I let my breathing calm down a little. My shoulder was beyond hurt to the point of passing out pain. I ran a hand through my hair and tried not to think about it, but my thoughts were soon taken by the conversation that now seemed awfully close to me.

"I don't know when you're ever going to learn, Griffin," Roland said.

It was my first chance to have a spare moment to look at them, and Roland looked a little worse for wear- his nose was bleeding and his shirt torn. But that was no comparison to Griffin. His eye was red and puffy, his nose bleeding too, and blood was matted into his hair. He had a slight limp, but was trying to hide it from Roland.

Before I knew it, a huge, overwhelming sickening feeling came over me. Griffin beat every Paladin he came into contact with, but never Roland- and he wouldn't give up until he did, or he died.

And I was scared as hell for the latter.

The worst part was sitting on the ground, not doing a damn thing. So I got to my feet, but I already knew the outcome before I tried.

"Griffin," I said, hoping not to distract him but wanting his attention.

"Not now, Barbie," he said, teeth clenched.

Roland tried to hit Griffin as he spoke, but Griffin dodged it and took a hit back, missing too. Roland's weapon was gone too, and I knew that Griffin was trying to even the fight.

"Do you need help?" I asked, feeling stupid for asking but guilty for not.

"No," Griffin yelled, "I can do this myself. Just go, Barbie."

I bit my lip once more, barely feeling the pain after doing it so much. Roland looked angrier than I'd ever seen him. It was like two animals circling each other- wondering who would strike next.

I almost couldn't watch...but I did.

Roland sent a nasty blow towards Griffin, who tried to dodge it, but it ended up just knocking the air out of him.

I felt like the air was knocked out of _me_.

Without knowing quite what the hell I was going to do, I was standing up and moving toward them. I felt Roland turn his attention toward me, but just as his mouth opened, Griffin hit him squarely in the stomach and sent him backward.

"Go away, Barbie! You're not doing anyone any help staying here," he yelled.

"I can help you-"

"No you can't! **I** have to do this," he snarled, "No reason for you to get killed in the process."

"Does it matter Griffin?" I sighed.

He didn't look at me, but hit Roland again so he would stay down for another few seconds.

"What?" he asked, looking at me strangely.

"Does it matter if I die? I don't have anything! I don't have anyone! Do you think they'll even have a funeral if nobody comes?" I asked, exasperated.

As I spoke, Roland was climbing to his feet, shaking his head and moving to strike again.

"I'll tell you what Barbie," Griffin said in a rush, "If you leave right now- I promise I'll come to your funeral."

I looked at his face, contorted in an expression I couldn't identify.

"You know I don't say this often, but..._please_," Griffin sighed.

I felt the weirdest tug in my chest as I stared at Griffin, and before I knew it, I was nodding.

Griffin gave me a short nod in return, turning back to Roland.

I watched for one more fleeting moment before closing my eyes and jumping back to Griffin's.

And now my heart was beating the same tune, with one exception...now it was for someone else.

_Don't Die. Don't Die. Don't Die._


	19. Chapter 19

Oh my god, a real life update! =]

* * *

I used to think the worst part of any battle is waiting for it to happen. The last hour has given me an entirely new perspective on that. New conclusion: The absolute **worst** part of any battle is waiting for it to end when you can no longer be a part of it.

I recently downed two of my pills, leaving me only one to cope with the pain later, but that wasn't really part of my thinking as I swallowed. My shoulder was now stiff and still throbbed but the pain wasn't so sharp that it made me want to faint. Well, I still wanted to faint. But that was for other reasons.

Pacing is lost on the weary, but sitting and biting your nails is not. A few bloody fingernails and numb limbs later, I'm still here...alone.

Being Griffin-less may be quiet, but it's the most unsettling feeling I've ever had in my life. And not just because the silence was choking me. No, it was more because I missed that cocky voice and that accent and that driving me crazy feeling. Because it might be annoying, but I'd take that over it being gone forever.

Just the thought makes me queasy.

I tried not to think of bad things, but I feel like that was trying to avoid the inevitable. Flashes of my Aunt kept crossing my mind and threatening to bring up the small amount of food that I had managed to down at the hospital.

I laid down on the couch, barely noticing that my head hit the armrest as I stared at the ceiling blankly. My stomach was in complete knots. My mind flashed with images of Griffin, bloody and hurt and falling down. I could see him in my place with Roland holding a shiny new knife above him. But what if he wasn't so lucky?

I shuddered. My clothes were in near tatters which wasn't helping anything. I turned uncomfortably so I was leaning on my good shoulder and tried to think of anything that wasn't a horrible scenario, but it wasn't working.

Griffin was so..._tough_ all the time. He never needed help with anything. He could almost always beat me in a fight. Hell, I'm sure he always could beat me save for that one random time. But as I saw him staggering, I knew that Roland was his match. And neither one of them seemed intent on losing.

I shuddered again. No more thinking. Thinking only puts me in very nauseating situations.

So I just stared at the wall. I stared at the table. I stared at the TV. I stared at the black, and the red, and the gray. I willed my thoughts to becoming colors, blank and unemotional, and unaware. And when that failed, I tried not thinking at all.

* * *

"Ella...Ella...wake up."

I heard the voice before my eyes fluttered open. I squinted into the shadows, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light as I slowly sat up. As recognition dawned and the sleepiness faded, I felt my heart leap.

"Griffin?" I asked, seeing his familiar outline hunched next to me.

"No, it's the tooth fairy."

Sarcasm would have been a good sign, but his breathing sounded so labored that I literally felt my own become shorter.

"Are you alright?" I asked, ignoring the sharp twinge in my shoulder as I kneeled on the floor that he was now sitting on.

"Just a little winded," he sighed, taking a huge breath and clenching his teeth.

Not believing him, I moved in front of him. I couldn't see well enough so I reached the lamp beside his couch and flicked it on.

I almost wished I hadn't.

His entire shirt was torn and bathed in blood that was now dripping onto the gray floor and staining it dark red. I felt my insides freeze as I dropped to my knees, hand instinctively reaching for his without realizing.

"Griffin," I breathed, doing my best not to let out a sob, "This is a lot worse than being winded."

I tried not to explode, knowing he was probably in horrible pain, but I really wanted to scream. To fight Roland again. To cure Griffin and then beat him up again just for giving me a glimmer of hope for a second that he was alright.

"It's okay, Barbie. I'll be...fine," he choked, hands pressing against his stomach to hide the gaping wound.

"No, Griffin," I said, shaking my head, "We need to go to a hospital."

I gave him the most pleading look I could muster, knowing that I didn't have the resources or the knowledge to make him better.

"I can't," he protested, closing his eyes tightly as his slight movement caused a fresh slice of pain.

"You have to," I tried to say sternly but my voice wavered enough to cause Griffin to refute me again.

"It wouldn't matter."

I watched as the blood continued to flow and instinctively ripped off the remaining bottom half of my shirt.

"Let me try and stop it," I said, wrapping the cloth around Griffin's stomach. He flinched but let me tie it, letting out a sharp hiss as I tightened it. I watched in sickening and mind racing horror as the white fabric turned red in a matter of seconds. I felt even more nauseous than before, panic overtaking my mind.

"We have to go. I don't care if they're looking for us. We'll use fake names, we can go to a hospital that's not even around here-"

"No," Griffin interrupted.

"Yes," I said sternly, "What are you worried about? Them finding us? I swear, we won't even-"

"I'm not...worried...about that," Griffin said, taking deep breaths in between his words.

I turned my worried eyes to his face and saw his own eyes blinking at me tiredly.

"Well then what is it?" I asked slowly.

"I'm...worried...I won't...make it there," he finished.

I swear the silence was deafening as soon as the last word tumbled from his lips. I could feel my brain momentarily stop working, my heart flying into overdrive, and a deep gut wrenching scream nearly slipped from my throat.

"Don't say that," I demanded, "You're the strongest person I know," I choked, the tears now freely falling down my cheeks.

"Strong...not...invincible," he said, voice seeming more and more distant.

"Yes, yes you are! You can't give me all this shit about being tough and making it on your own if you don't listen to your own advice! You have to stay here. There's so many things I don't know and you're the only one that can help me," I rambled frantically, my eyes filling with water more each second as I tried to persuade him.

"You know...enough. Trust...me," he said.

I could see the traces of a smile on his face and for some reason that made the sharp lash in my stomach worsen.

"No I don't! And don't say that. You're gonna get better, and meaner, and I'm going to make fun of you and be weird and you're not going to laugh even though you want to and things will go back to normal," I continued to ramble, dread lingering in every inch of my body.

"You know...you've got me...thinking...about funerals," he said slowly, eyes tightening, "I've never...really wanted one. But...if I did...I wouldn't rather...anyone be there...but you."

"No, no, no," I said shaking my head, grabbing his hand and clutching it tightly. His skin was ice cold but I didn't take my eyes off his face.

"Griffin," I choked again, tears blurring my vision.

He tried to smile again, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. And then they closed.

"Griffin!"

I shook his arm, but his eyes didn't open. I shook him harder, craning over his body and not caring that the blood soaked shirt was now seeping into mine.

"Griffin!" I yelled, shaking him again.

His head moved to the side and his eyes stayed close.

I shook him harder, but somehow I knew that he wasn't going to wake up.

I took my hands off like they were poison, looking at the smears of blood on them and burying my face in anyway as the tears poured down.

Gone.

Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone.

Gone like my Aunt. Gone like my father. Gone like Griffin said anyone you got close to would be.

I lost it. I couldn't feel any limb in my entire body. My vision was only Griffin's closed eyes. My thoughts were only loss and death and depression. I felt like someone was digging into my chest and squeezing my heart and my lungs so I couldn't breathe and I could barely speak and it was hard to do much of anything except curl into a bowl and cry.

As I choked with sobs, I suddenly felt a harsh shaking. Confusion suddenly swept across the numbness. I wiped my eyes and saw that Griffin was still lying lifeless, but the push on my shoulder kept getting harder. As I turned around, suddenly, my eyelids flew open.

I looked around, the picture changed entirely as Griffin stood in front of me. I blinked repeatedly, hoping like hell I wasn't losing it but sure enough, his face was peering down at me.

I was dreaming. I could almost feel my ribs still aching from the sobs that I hadn't actually been crying.

"Are you hallucinating, Barbie?" Griffin asked tiredly.

I sat up quickly, not caring that he had a slight attitude or that he was in fact bruised and a little bloody. Instead, I launched myself into his arms, taking him off guard.

He was hesitant at first, but eventually relaxed a little and patted my back.

"S'ok, no one's dead or anything."

Instead of explaining anything to him, I let go and turned to look at his face. His expression was questioning, but quite frankly, I wasn't looking at it for a long time. Because without really thinking what I was doing, I kissed him.


	20. Chapter 20

I'm short, but I'm here! =]

* * *

My mind was torn between thinking _What the hell are you doing right now?_ Vs. _I don't care what happens, this was worth it._

Griffin stumbled back right as my lips met his, not moving as I tried to decide what I was feeling besides ultimate confusion and a torrent through my body. He hesitated at first and I felt him move to push me away, but he didn't. Not for a few seconds, anyway.

Those next twenty seconds were bliss. Hands through his hair, I pulled him toward me. For some reason, I felt like he was going to slip away. So I pressed my lips harder against his.

When he actually began to respond, I realized that he probably never had a girlfriend, so this reason for him being such a good kisser was probably from...other things. But I didn't even want to think about that.

Instead, I decided thinking was the worst thing I could possibly do right now. So I let my mind wander elsewhere.

Griffin's mouth moved with mine, hot breath hitting my lips when we moved apart even for a second. I felt his hands resting on my hips, and felt myself pushing back toward him and moving my hands to around his neck. He must have been hit there because he flinched under me until I repositioned them and he relaxed again. My body was on fire and my stomach was flipping, but I couldn't remember feeling this happy in a while.

So naturally, it was all taken away.

Griffin suddenly pulled away from me, leaving me half-lidded to look at him confusedly. He quickly took his hands off his hips and for the first time, I got a chance to look at him closely. His eye was bruising from the fight, and he had a few scratches along his left cheek. I almost reached out to touch them, but Griffin's wide eyes and slightly disgusted expression told me that would probably be a bad idea.

He held his hands slightly in the air as he backed away, looking like he was surrendering for a crime. My eyes traced his expression, trying to figure out what was going through his head.

But I never was very good at that.

I didn't have a chance to say or do anything, though, before Griffin was rubbing his neck and talking to the floor.

"That was...uh...I have to go," he mumbled.

I bit my lip and shook my own head, feeling a huge, gut splitting feeling erupt inside of me.

"No, we should talk," I said feebly, knowing that Griffin was the type to run away before actually having a conversation to sort things out. And I could not handle being left without any sort of closure after this.

He actually looked up at me this time, but his eyes were so blank I couldn't tell what he was going to say.

"No, we shouldn't."

I let out a long painful breath and felt my shoulders slump.

"You can't just run away because you're uncomfortable," I managed to spit out, despite the fact that my self-confidence scale was nearing the negative numbers.

"Uncomfortable is not the word," Griffin said, eyes no longer blank but instead fierce and pointed at me. "I don't do..._this_, Barbie," he said, gesturing between us, "And you're seriously more delusional than I thought if you believed you could change that."

I felt a huge bubble of intensity rise in me, threatening to constrict my throat, but not succeeding.

"And you're seriously fucked, you know that?" I spat. Self-confidence was no longer an issue, anger was taking full fledged force.

"Of course I know that! Which makes me wonder what the hell you were even thinking!" he yelled.

"I was thinking that maybe, deep, deep, deep down maybe you had an ounce of a_ real_ human inside of you!" I exclaimed, narrowing my eyes.

"Well sorry to disappoint, it's all a black hole," he said sarcastically, throwing his arms in the air.

"That's not even what makes me mad," I said shaking my head.

"Yeah? What is it then?" he asked, voice still loud.

"The fact that you and I both know this is all bullshit," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "I know people you loved have been taken away, and your life has been anything but fair, but you don't forget how to care for people. You can pretend all you want, but it's not going to go away."

A deep tension hung in the air as my words registered and he let out a slow breath.

"What would you know about it?" he asked, voice slow and quiet. "Did you live my life? Did you see the fucking disaster that overcame everything? Have you had to wonder if anything was worth it? Have you spent years chasing someone that you can't beat?"

I felt my eyes fall from his, unable to hold his gaze. My heart was beating rapidly now, and I could almost hear it pounding in the silence. I tried not to guilty from the pain laced in his words.

"Answer me," he demanded.

I let my eyes rise to meet his one more time, still not saying anything.

"Answer me!"

I flinched at his voice, looking away again.

"No," I forced out.

"**No**," he repeated, his sounding sinister and low. "So don't talk like you know what I would feel."

A silence lapsed once more, Griffin and I only feet apart but a curtain of thick emotion separating us. I wanted to wait for him to break it, but it was apparent that he wasn't going to...so I did.

"Just because I didn't go through what you did doesn't mean I don't know how it feels," I said.

He looked up at me, but didn't say anything, so I continued.

"My dad died when I was little. I never got along with my mom, and when I told her about myself, she sent me away. Do you know I haven't been home in years? And the only family that ever cared about me is dead because of me. So now, I don't have a family, and I don't have a home. I have enemies. And I have you. So I'm sorry you hate me so much. I just wanted you to see that having someone to depend on isn't as horrible as you make it out to be."

I heard Griffin let out a low sigh, but I kept my eyes away and my hands clenched at my sides.

"I know shit has happened to you too. But you act like you can fix it in a few weeks. But you can't. Because you don't even know what's gone on in my life," Griffin told me.

I knew he was trying to get me to give up. To go away. But I knew a lost cause when I saw one, and Griffin wasn't completely gone.

"I know how to fix that," I said, looking up at him.

His mouth was opened slightly as he looked at me, but didn't saying anything.

"You could tell me what happened. You can talk to me. You can get close to me and not worry what will happen. We're in the same situation Griffin. Be my friend. Be anything. Just stop pushing me away."

My voice was quiet, but I knew he heard me. I could tell by the spark of surprise in his eyes, which was quickly masked by a look of indifference. But I tried to keep my gaze steady, challenging him to say something.

"And what makes you think I could do that?" he asked, tilting his head at he looked right back.

"Because you kissed me back."


	21. Chapter 21

_Sorry for the wait!! I know, I pretty much suck. But...at least it's here now? I think there's only going to be a few more after this. That kind of makes me sad. I actually really like this story. Not this part in particular, but as a whole, I'll be sad to see it off. :(_

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_

Griffin was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch while I sprawled out across it, staring at the ceiling. We had spent the last hour mostly sitting here, sometimes talking. I mostly waited for Griffin to say something, because I was out of things to say by this point.

I really exhausted the 'You can tell me anything' bit. Griffin understood it by now, but he really wasn't ready to tell me anything. And I was okay with it, as long as he knew he had the option.

I knew that he would be bad at discussing things. I just didn't know he would be _this_ bad. It was just like he lost words altogether. But as time went on, I realized that maybe words weren't as important as I was making them out to be.

"Barbie I...well, shit, I don't do this," he said frustrated, rubbing his eyes.

"We've established that, sunshine," I said with a lazy smile.

"I just don't know what you expect. I've never had a girlfriend before."

"Me either," I said, grinning again.

He looked up with a glare.

"Smartass."

I smiled again, shaking my head.

"We don't have to talk about this," I suggested, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the couch.

"We don't?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Griffin, you're isolated and bitter. I'm sarcastic and annoying. I think that match is pretty perfect without forced conversations. We can just try to let things..._be_ for a while," I said, looking at him for confirmation.

He looked utterly relieved, and I swear I saw his jaw unclench as he nodded vigorously.

"Fuck that sounds good. I was running out of things to say and I've had to take a piss for the past hour."

I watched him get up and walk toward the bathroom and found myself grimly smiling.

I've never felt so lucky.

* * *

I woke up and looked around, seeing that it was already pretty dark out. I must have fallen asleep when Griffin was looking through all his notes and information he wouldn't let me look at. I sighed and stood up, seeing that he must have went somewhere because I couldn't see or hear anything indicating a human within thirty feet.

I yawned and stretched a little, contemplating what to do. Griffin's place wasn't exactly a funhouse. If you didn't want to kill Paladins or play a video game, you were pretty much out of luck. I wish he would have left a note or something, saying when he would be back. But that's so un-Griffin like that I almost laughed just thinking it.

I began to move toward the outside when I saw the pile of papers and discs that Griffin was looking at earlier. I looked around quickly, knowing that Griffin wasn't here, but feeling the need to be paranoid anyway. As I crept closer, I swear I heard something, but a quick survey told me I was just being crazy.

I didn't think about my days in school a lot, but this was eerily reminiscent of something that had already happened...

_My roommate, Melinda, and I were...let's just say polar opposites. She was the outspoken, perky one and I was the only spoken when spoken to, sarcastic one. She mainly ignored me, but in our last month of school, I swear she became more...interested in me. For some strange reason, I just always felt like she was scrutinizing my actions and whenever I made a movement, her eyes would flicker toward me._

_So, one day, as I was leaving the room, I waited outside with my ear pressed to the door. I held my breath, knowing that it would be hard to explain why I was listening if she caught me. I heard her footsteps coming toward the door, so with wide eyes I nearly flew into the bathroom across the hall. I saw her walking down the hall, looking around and finally disappearing from sight. _

_I felt my heart beating faster as I opened the door and walked back into our room. When I entered, everything looked the same, except for the pile of papers messily shoved under Melinda's pillow._

_I looked around. She could come back at any minute, but I had to look. Curiosity would always, always get the better of me. _

_I could almost hear my heart beating as I tentatively picked up her pillow and looked down at the flurry of papers. Some just had phone numbers and names I never heard of, but some of them had...notes. I couldn't make any sense of them, they were just places and dates, some with stars and others with names of airlines and times. I looked through every small piece, wondering just what the hell they meant, but finding no clue. _

_I couldn't shake the feeling that Melinda hated me before, but now she wasn't ignoring me anymore. I felt like a spy, but a completely untrained, stupid one that only got themselves into messes.  
_

_I looked around quickly, straining my ears. I didn't hear anything, but I could only imagine the doorknob turning at any second and Melinda walking in, face turning to fury. So, I shoved all the papers back, neatened up the bedspread, and walked out of the room, more confused than ever._

I never found out what was going on with Melinda, because pretty soon there were finals, and then graduation. She never said anything more to me, or did anything to me. I guess I just have the personality that makes everyone out to be crazy or something. So, I never saw her again, but as I was about to look through Griffin's papers, all the feelings of nervousness and paranoia seemed to rise back up within me.

With some hesitation, I reached forward, flipping open a book and seeing CDs inside. I scanned over the words, seeing that most of them were names of places. London, Rome... they were all like that.

I put down the book and reached for the papers, picking one up and starting to scan my eyes over it.

"What do you think you're doing, Barbie?"

My heart leaped in my chest and I spun around, dropping the paper. I tried to calm my breathing as Griffin looked at me with an eyebrow raised, arms across his chest. I felt my shock turn to guilt and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I was just...curious?" I offered, biting my lip.

"Curious because I told you not to look?" he asked.

"Curious because I thought I was going to help you and thought that maybe I _should_ look," I quipped.

"Or curious because people are always curious about things they _shouldn't_ look at," he retorted.

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering how it was just this morning that we were having that conversation about us.

"Where were you?" I opted to ask instead, tilting my head in question.

"Egypt," he said effortlessly, as if it were a normal occurrence, "And don't think you get off that easy."

I felt myself almost smiling, the atmosphere somewhat lifted now that I knew he wasn't going to get mad at me.

"Oh yeah? What did you get me?"

"Now, I've never had a girlfriend or whatever before-" Griffin claimed.

"Neither have I," I cut in, again. It was just too easy if he kept saying that.

He glared at me momentarily, but continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"But I'm pretty sure it's not custom to buy them presents to places that they can just as easily go," he finished.

I looked up at him, moving closer and taking my chances by putting my hands around his waist.

"So let's go somewhere," I suggested.

He looked a little awkward, but tried to mask it as I smiled, kind of enjoying his hesitation.

"Like where?"

I let go of his waist, leaning up to kiss him quickly. He was still so unsure about this whole thing that he wasn't completely relaxed, but I took his effort as a good enough sign.

"Seriously, where are we going?"

"I'm not going to kill you," I said with a laugh.

"Just tell me where," he tried to say demandingly.

"No," I said back with a chuckle.

"Yes?"

"No."

I grabbed his hand, and began to walk toward the entrance to the outside.

"Now I know you've never had a girlfriend before," I mocked. "But sometimes...things just have to be a surprise," I said, smiling.

And then I jumped.


	22. Chapter 22

_It's sort of a filler, but I thought you guys would appreciate an update. ;)_

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* * *

  
_

Two weeks later, I was actually, sort of, a little bit, getting used to the idea of Griffin and I. It was still a little weird, and everything was still new, but I knew from the rising feeling in my chest that I liked it and I didn't want it to go away.

It was strange. If you ever asked me to describe a typical guy I would date, I'm not sure what I would say. Probably funny and outspoken, or even shy so I could be the one who was outgoing. But I never would have guessed that I would've liked a guy who was...

Well, for lack of any better word...so...Griffin-like.

But I guess you can't ever predict who you're going to like. And I was pretty content with the challenge.

* * *

Griffin wasn't into the holding hands thing, so I managed to squeeze him into an arm link as we walked down the street. Actually, it was more an Ella hanging off your arm thing than an actual link, but I knew it was better than nothing and I needed time to wear down his immense fear of affection.

We were halfway to the diner when I spotted a huge sign- _Da Vinci Tattoos_.

"Would you ever get a tattoo?" I asked Griffin.

He broke out of whatever concentration he was in and raised an eyebrow at me.

"No," he said flatly.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I don't have anything that I want fucking permanently on my body."

I disregarded his hostility and continued with a chipper voice.

"Well I'm getting one."

"What? Yeah right," he scoffed, "Barbies don't get tattoos."

I narrowed my eyes at him and stopped walking.

"I've_ always_ wanted a tattoo."

"Are you going to get Ken's name on your wrist?" he teased.

"I'm going to get your name on my ass, actually," I smirked.

He shut up after that and my smirk turned to a full on smile. Maybe this would get easier- I finally knew how to shut off his attitude.

We continued to go down the street, the diner finally coming into view. It was getting colder now, so the wind picked up just as we were walking in the door. The second we stepped inside, we were overtaken with warmth, and...Christmas decorations?

"What's today?" I asked Griffin confusedly, looking around at the plastic Santas and the snowflakes hanging from the ceilings.

"I don't know...December something." He squinted at a newspaper stand that was next to the door. "3rd?"

"I didn't even know Christmas was close," I commented.

"It's just a holiday that's turned into a load of bullshit."

I frowned at him, but soon an old lady was in front of us, leading us to a corner booth.

As soon as she handed us our menus, I looked back up at Griffin.

"I always loved the Christmas season," I protested.

"You would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, scrunching up my eyebrows.

"It's a bunch of bright lights, present buying, and decorations. All of which scream Barbie," he said, not lifting his eyes from scanning the menu.

I scoffed, looking down myself but continuing to talk.

"That's not the only reason I like it," I retorted, "I liked it because at my school, almost everybody would go home on Christmas. My mom would always be on some vacation or another, so I had nearly the whole place to myself. So I would sit and watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate and just sit by the huge Christmas tree in the dining hall-"

"Sounds magical," Griffin cut in sarcastically.

"Fuck you-"

"Erm, can I get you something to drink?" the old waitress cut in.

I felt immediately embarrassed at my outburst and smiled sheepishly as I got a coke and Griffin a root beer. He didn't bother stifling the laugh that erupted, and I narrowed my eyes.

"I hate you!"

"Hate me? You're the one being profane to old ladies."

"You make me that way!" I argued.

"How do you know that you haven't been the bad influence on me?"

"Because you were pretty messed up without me, thanks."

Griffin glared, but he knew I was joking, so he brushed it off.

We lapsed into a silence as we both picked what we were having for lunch, and I suddenly had a thought.

"Wait, what day did you say it was?"

"Um...the third."

"Well that makes my birthday in three days," I said happily.

It was odd; thinking about my birthday wasn't something that had been a priority in my life. When I was away at school, I wouldn't tell anybody. I was lucky enough to get a card from my mother. It was certainly unexpected if I got a phone call.

"I miss it," I said nostalgically, thinking of when I was little.

"Miss what?" Griffin asked.

"The candles, and the cards. I remember my mom used to put my presents under the tree so it would sort of be like a mini-Christmas."

"That's…nice," Griffin grunted.

I laughed at the pained look on his face.

"I understand that it's hard for you to be nice. So I really appreciate the effort," I said with a wide smile.

He nodded, not losing the hard look on his face which only made me smile more.

The lady came back with our drinks and I tried to give my best innocent look as we ordered our meals. I just got a grilled cheese, not being in the mood for anything too fancy today.

"You know who you're like?" I asked, taking a sip of my Coke.

"Who?"

"Dr. House."

Griffin's face contorted with confusion at my discovery.

"Who's that?"

"Have you been living under a rock?" I asked.

"In the middle of the desert actually. Nearly the same."

I rolled my eyes.

"Well it's this show I watch whenever I'm somewhere long enough. It's about this doctor who's a complete genius but he has such people problems. And he's sarcastic as all hell- like you, minus the saving people's lives."

"Thanks for the clarification."

"I'm sort of like his ex-wife then. Or Cameron, for a little while. But they didn't really succeed, so I'd rather be someone entirely new-"

"What are you babbling about?"

"Never mind," I said, shaking my head.

"You're weird, you know that?"

"Yup."

He rolled his eyes and began to rip his napkin into pieces.

"Let's play a game," he said, putting a rolled up piece on a spoon and moving his water glass away from him.

He pounded his fist onto the table and the ball shot up in the air, just barely missing the cup.

I watched in amusement for a second before looking at him.

"You're weird too, you know that?"

He paused for a second before smirking.

"Yup."


	23. Chapter 23

_Sorry for the long wait. But in my defense, I've been really busy, and this one is like 1,000 more words than the last one, which is a plus. ;) Review and enjoy. _

* * *

The sun was literally burning me alive. I was melting into a puddle of useless skin drips of barely recognizable human characteristics.

Okay, that was an exaggeration. But the fact that it was probably 85 degrees out, coupled with the annoying voice that was now pounding into my brain for the thousandth time, I may just be in hell.

"What are the four most vulnerable parts of the body?" Griffin asked, shielding his eyes against the sun.

"The face, throat, stomach, and groin," I repeated dully, wiping my forehead and trying to keep my hair from falling in my face.

"What's a strike to each of those places?"

"Punch, ridge hand, knee kick, front kick," I droned.

"And the most powerful place to hit with?" he drilled.

"The elbow," I said with a sigh.

"And if someone grabs your arm you..."

"Scream 'Rape!' and hit them in the family jewels?"

"_Ella_," Griffin said sternly.

I smiled at him, somehow finding his 'stern face' anything but stern, but humoring him anyway.

"Step forward for more force, grab your own hand and pull back."

"And if they grab both of your arms?" he asked.

"You can either twist your wrists downward and push their arms down or twist your wrists upward and use one hand to put their arm behind them."

"And-"

"Griffin, I _know _all of this already. I thought we were done with training," I whined, sitting down on the rock nearest to us and trying not to die in the blazing sun.

"They'll be looking for you there. Do you want to be prepared?" Griffin asked, crossing his arms.

"Obviously," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Then stop complaining. Now tell me what to do if someone chokes you from behind..."

* * *

I walked into the cemetery, shivering as I remembered the encounter with the Paladin that I had here. The only difference was that last time I hadn't been ready at all, and this time I was overprepared.

I tried not to think of any negative thoughts, but they became overwhelming as I got closer to my Aunt's grave. It was scary how vividly I could retrace my footsteps when I hadn't even been here in such a long time. I guess the worst of things are engrained in your mind, whether you want to remember them or not.

My sneakers sunk slightly with each footstep in the muddy ground and I bypassed a few stones to finally reach the one I was looking for.

I took a deep breath and bent down, placing the flowers I had gotten on the grass. They looked so bright now. Almost too bright. Mocking.

I turned my attention away from them and looked instead at the gray stone, dull and cold. I felt the wind pick up and sift my hair, and I pushed it aside as I thought of what I should do.

"Hey Aunt Eileen," I started, smiling slightly as I pictured her face. "Just thought it was due time for a visit."

I'd never really understood people who would talk to those people they lost. I always thought it would be weird, talking to the air like that. But there was a sense of _rightness_ to it, if that made sense. Whether you believed in heaven or not, it was just nice to think that maybe they could hear you. And that was comforting.

"I've been actually pretty busy lately," I said, "I thought that I'd be done with training, but apparently it's an ongoing thing. Have to keep your 'senses sharp' or some crap, according to Griffin."

I could nearly picture her knowing look, urging me on.

"Yes...Griffin. You always told me that I'd have to meet a very special boy who could actually put up with me," I said with a smile. "And he really can't, to be honest. But I can't really put up with him either, so it sort of balances out," I said, actually thinking about it and smiling again.

I could once again picture the amused look on her aging face, corners of her eyes crinkled as she would smile her green eyes at me.

"I guess we are pretty strange together. But I've never really been normal," I concluded.

I paused for a moment. If Griffin asked what I did this whole time, I certainly didn't want to admit I'd spent it talking about him. I could only imagine the arrogance that would creep onto his face.

I scanned my eyes over the ground and spotted the flowers again, remembering something.

"Remember that time when Uncle Kevin got you those flowers? I came over for dinner and accidentally knocked over the vase and-"

"You always were clumsy."

I jumped at the penetrating voice and felt my heart jump along with me.

Well, shit. Griffin was actually right. This was a little predictable for my taste.

I turned around as quickly as possible, putting my right foot back so I could protect the side of my body. I was about to put my hands up when my eyes swept over the face of the Paladin...a familiar head of curls and cold blue eyes.

"Melinda?"

"Ella," she clarified curtly. "Now if you don't mind, we've been looking for you a while, and I'd love to be the one to finish you off."

I was barely able to register the fact that she was standing here in front of me, but the gears really started turning as I saw her reach into her pocket to get ready to electrocute me. I jumped to dodge the blow, still gaping as she cursed the feet that I had put between us.

Melinda? _Melinda?_ As in the captain of the track team? As in the popular girl? As in the girl who I slept in the same room with for years and who never spoke more than a few nasty words to me?

She was moving toward me now- pretty fast from her years as a star track runner, and I let her get within range before attempting to kick her stupid weapon from her hands. But she was much faster than I was with her hands and simply moved it out of the way so I ended up kicking empty space. I scowled and used my new found anger to direct my force.

I never went looking for friends at that stupid school, but the fact that she was so mean to me made things entirely worse. Who wants to go back to the comfort of their room when it's just uncomfortable in there?

She narrowed her eyes at me and tried to electrocute me again. The wires grazed my arm and I felt my heart thud- if I was shocked, that would be it. I jumped behind her, hitting the back of her head. She fell to the floor, but turned around sharply, hitting my ankles.

I cringed and managed to keep myself upright, my legs straining from the impact. I caught myself on the damp grass and moved my left leg to hit her again.

She was already getting up at this point, her eyes even more narrowed and blazing like they were before. They weren't a nice shade of blue, they were more silver. Cold and lifeless. I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly beamed out ice.

I got myself back into a more protective stance but knew that I had to get that damn thing away from her. It wasn't a fair fight this way, and without being able to jump, I was down a major advantage. I jumped around her a few times, almost taunting as she made roundabout attempts to hit me, failing every time.

I fought the urge to ask her how she got into all of this. Something told me she probably wasn't in the mood for conversation as she tried to kill people.

I shuddered, continuing to jump a few feet in random directions. I never actually thought about myself actually dying. But Paladins did it all the time. In fact, if I hadn't met Griffin, I'd probably already be dead.

When I finally lingered, I took a small moment to observe the way-

_Electrocution._

I should not have stopped moving. My body screamed in agony- this never got easier, and my mind was already cursing me.

My teeth clenched, trying to keep the scream inside of me. I would not give her the satisfaction. I would maintain calm, as calm as someone could be when it felt like a million sharp shards were piercing through their veins.

I could almost hear her laughter.

Oh, wait.

She really was laughing.

I saw her maniac eyes staring at me through my blurred vision. Because everything was smeared it was a mess of silver lightning that I tried to convince myself was some sort of dream of a thunder storm. But when I finally regained some sense of composure, I saw her looming face above mine. And I knew it was some sort of nightmare.

"I always knew you were a freak," she spat, leering at me like I was some sort of zoo animal. "I just didn't figure it out in time."

I sighed, really wanting to give her a nice slap to the face, but I couldn't really make my arms move right now. At least not enough to do any real damage.

"I always knew you were a bitch," I spat back. "I just didn't figure out you were a murderer too."

"Too bad," she commented, suddenly looking around, "Because then maybe you'd be waking up tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that I had regained enough strength to jump away now. I also knew that she still thought I was too weak. So I was going to make this fun.

"Not if I jump away," I retorted, but made my voice sound weak and added a small writhing on the floor image for good effect.

"As if you could," she sneered.

I scowled at her, making pretend to make attempts to get up. She smiled, or smirked, at me before I turned to her with the hugest grin I could muster.

"Actually, I could," I said with a chipper voice.

I swung my legs around to kick hers out from under her and she fell the floor with a satisfying thud. I saw her head hit the ground pretty hard, and her weapon fell from her hand. I kicked it away before looking down at her, the situation now entirely reversed. It suddenly hit me, an epiphany of past recollection. That's what she had been doing suspiciously in our last year, why she had all those things under her pillow. She had just begun. And I was going to blatantly point that out to her.

"Looks like you have some practice to do. And I don't think Roland's going to be very happy with you," I said with a smile, knowing that she was probably hoping to get some praise from killing me.

"I'm going to kill you," she said threateningly, attempting to stand up.

I gave her a nice slam to the stomach, effectively bringing every limb back to the cold ground. For good measure, I added a nice punch to the mouth.

"Not if I kill you first," I whispered, reeling my fist back.

She shrunk away from me, wiping blood from her lips. I watched as the cold look in her eyes turned to fear, and she pushed back her matted curls as if to get a better look at me.

I felt something inside of me suddenly drop. I could feel my heart speeding up the whole time, but it seemed to quietly get slower as I raised my fist higher.

And then dropped it.

I suddenly had the image of her crossing the finish line at a track meet, sweating and panting but smiling as her father cheered beside me. I saw her turning in her sleep. I saw her chewing on her pencil during math class.

And now I saw her turning confused. Her expression probably mirrored my own. My hands started to shake at my sides as I watched her try to scramble to her feet, the blood I had caused to drip from her mouth beginning to dry in a crimson stain.

I saw her reach once again for her weapon, and I jumped.

* * *

Griffin was lying on the couch, sprawled across every cushion as I stumbled from my jumpscar, my legs suddenly feeling that fall all to well as I lost my balance and fell to my knees.

"Were they there?" Griffin asked, standing up quickly and walking toward me.

"I knew her," I said, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"Knew who? Are you gonna puke?"

I cradled my head, shaking it back and forth.

"I knew her and I couldn't do it," I said, almost disbelieving.

"Couldn't do what?" he asked, confused as he knelt beside me with an odd look on his face.

"Couldn't kill her."

I bit my lip. It was one thing to talk about revenge, to talk about killing others so you wouldn't be killed yourself, but I _knew _her. I knew her face. I knew her name. I knew her friends. I couldn't kill her if I tried a hundred times.

I felt Griffin hesitantly move closer to me. I knew he probably wouldn't be able to say the right thing, so I just grabbed onto him and moved myself as close as possible. He draped an arm around my shoulder and let me sit there, in the middle of the floor, closing every space between us in hopes of some sense.

"It's a good thing you know," he said suddenly, breaking the silence.

I broke from my daze, looking up at him and wondering what he meant.

He saw the look of confusion and spoke again.

"It's a good thing, Ella."

I always felt a jolt in my stomach when he used my real name, and this time was no different.

"It means you still have morals. Still have hope and compassion, which is a little more than I can say for myself." He paused, licking his lips. "It means they haven't broken you yet." He paused again. "And I'm going to make sure they never do."

I let his words sink in, really sink in, and moved my arms around him. And he let me, right there in the middle of the floor, for as long as I had to.


	24. Chapter 24

Yayyy update! I just got my new computer charger, so we're good now. =)

* * *

Fear seized me.

I couldn't sense anything but the fact that I couldn't inhale. I vaguely could sense the cold hands around my neck but after I tried to pry them away and failed, the knuckles and fingers seemed to fade away.

The ceiling. It was dark and I could barely make it out but it was going to be the last thing I ever saw until my eyes slowly dragged over to the face that was hovering above mine. I would recognize those ice blue eyes anywhere- the ones I almost made go away for good. And now they were going to kill me.

I gasped and choked. There was no air. There was only burning. In my lungs, in my throat, in my heart. In my legs which had kicked repeatedly but soon lost all momentum as not breathing started to take its toll.

I could feel consciousness leaving. Would it just all turn black like my vision? Would my mind, my body just slowly fade away, or would it be sudden?

And then suddenly, I felt the pressure lift.

And my eyes opened.

I gasped in the dark. My breaths were coming heavy but at least they were coming- it had just been a dream.

My heart was pounding as I struggled to recollect myself. I could practically still feel where I thought her hands had been. I touched my throat tentatively, finding no soreness, but it still sent a shudder through my body.

I felt Griffin stir beside me, and stayed still, hoping I hadn't waken him.

"Barbie?" he asked heavily.

Whoops.

I turned to face him, just feeling comfort that he hadn't left during the night. I guess he realized that after the things that had happened the day before, I really didn't want to be alone.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said softly, "Go back to sleep."

"You sure?" he grumbled, voice scratchy and laced with grogginess.

"Yeah, I just can't sleep. I'm going to get a drink and read or something," I said, slipping my legs from under the covers.

"Mmhm."

I could feel his weight drop back onto his pillow and smiled slightly before sliding off the bed.

My mind was still racing. I couldn't shake the inexplicable feeling that was making my stomach plummet. I sat down on the couch and ran my hands through my hair, deciding to put it in a messy ponytail to get it out of my face.

I couldn't sit here. I don't think I'd be able to concentrate on a book. And I certainly didn't feel like eating anything.

So what else could distract me?

I bit my lip and cracked my knuckles. I tried to think of anything but the dream that I had just been having, but I could tell those eyes were going to haunt me for a long time. I shut my eyes tightly again, shaking my head.

Don't think of it. Don't think of it.

I just needed something to do. Anything that would keep me busy. Anything that would keep those eyes from appearing when I closed my own eyes.

* * *

Griffin walked into the room, rubbed his eyes and ruffled his already messed up hair. He picked up a bottle of water and took a swig. He yawned a bit.

And then he noticed.

"Did I jump in my sleep or something?" he asked gruffly.

I looked around with a smile.

"Nope."

"Did you kidnap me and take me to the freaking North Pole?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Nope."

"Is this a bad dream?"

"Nope."

"What did you do?" he asked flatly.

"Do you like it?" I asked, still grinning widely.

He looked around again, and I mirrored his actions. I had sort of, a little bit, decorated Griffin's place for Christmas. Judging from his look, he didn't so much like it. But it successfully kept me busy all morning, and that was all that mattered.

I had strung garland along the bookshelves with a few lights intertwined in between. Right beside the couch I had placed the best Christmas tree I could find- more than five feet tall and sparkling with red and white ornaments and a star on top.

"Seriously?" Griffin asked.

"I was bored," I shrugged.

"So read a book. Take a run."

"This was more occupying," I protested.

"Did it ever occur to you that this is _my_ place?" he asked.

I guess we were going to go the angry route today. Damn.

"I know, but-"

"What were you thinking?" he cut in.

"That a few ornaments were no big deal?" I retorted.

He looked around again, with an angry glint in his eyes.

"Did you mess up my stuff? My papers? Those are important, not meant to be covered with stupid pine needles-"

"I didn't touch your papers," I assured, "I just livened things up a bit."

"And you never noticed that I like things to stay the same? Especially when I'm not informed of changes?" he asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"It's not like we're living together. It's not your place to change anything," he said coolly.

That one stung. I'd never really thought long about our living arrangement, but if you asked me, I guess I kind of was living here. On the most permanent type of basis that I knew.

"Don't freak out, Griffin," I tried to say, knowing that his fear of commitment was scaring him.

"Freak out? Barbie, it looks like Santa lives here! You stay with me for a few days and suddenly it's like we're married or some shit-"

"What are you afraid of? That we're going to be in a...relationship? Cause I was kind of under the assumption that we were," I said angrily, giving into his provocation.

"Well we're not!" he exclaimed.

I froze suddenly, biting my lip.

Griffin seemed to slightly falter, but didn't say anything as I stared at him. The silence was tense but not as tense as the expression I held.

"I guess not," I said.

I let my eyes fall to the floor before I jumped.

* * *

I'd been staying at a hotel for the past day. I gave the name Sherri Smith to throw anyone off- she was my Chemistry lab partner in tenth grade.

I flopped on the bed and turned on the television- basically what I had been doing for the past few hours. I tried to focus on watching a show, any show, but I couldn't really focus. I flipped through the channels, looking for something I recognized.

I stopped when I saw the familiar face of Hugh Laurie. I smiled as I caught up on the episode. The boy had a deformed face- a growth was obstructing most of his eye and he received weird looks and frightened faces most of the time. I felt sympathy for being different, slightly happy that mine was more concealable.

And then Dr. House said something snide and I thought of how Griffin-like it was, and I got distracted all over again.

I turned over on my stomach and buried my face in the pillows, blocking out the noise of the couple doing...couple-y things next door. Gag me right now.

I stayed still for a few minutes before I felt my stomach growl. I hadn't eaten since dinner last night, so I was pretty hungry. I rose to my feet and ruffled my hair, slipping on my shoes beside the bed. I grabbed my room keys off the desk and unlocked the chain on the door. I opened it and tucked my hair behind my ear as I walked down the hallway.

The elevators were close to my room, so it was only a few seconds before I was pressing the down button and waiting.

I shifted my weight as the doors opened and I looked up quickly before walking in. And then I looked up once more in surprise.

The elevator doors closed as I turned to face him, my eyes wide.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Griffin looked nonchalant in his black jacket, leaning against the side of the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Figured since I wasn't living with anyone I might as well as live in a hotel," I said, looking away from him.

The doors opened suddenly and I started to walk out before Griffin grabbed my arm and pulled me back. When the doors shut, he pressed one of the buttons so the elevator stopped moving.

"Don't do that! We'll be stuck in here!"

"Oh, two people that can teleport stuck somewhere. Whatever will we do?" he asked sarcastically.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Look, I know I was-"

"Harsh? Rude? An asshole?" I supplied.

"Yeah, basically. I just wanted to, you know, tell you that."

"And?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"And I didn't mean to be that way," he said awkwardly, looking away from me.

"And?"

"I sometimes overreact."

"And?"

"What more do you want?" he asked, exasperatedly.

"A 'sorry' perhaps?" I asked.

Griffin mumbled something, still not looking at me.

"What was that?" I asked, leaning closer.

He mumbled something again.

"Come again?"

"Sorry! Ok? Sorry."

I couldn't help but start to smile a little bit, and Griffin noticed.

"A smile? Does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked tentatively.

I tried to keep a straight face.

"No. You said some shit that hurt."

"I didn't mean it. I can just...do stupid stuff sometimes."

"I noticed."

He took a few steps closer to me, placing his hand beneath my chin and tilting my face closer.

"You're lucky I like stupid boys," I said, moving toward him.

"So lucky," he breathed, just before he kissed me.

* * *

"So you wanna go somewhere?" Griffin asked, pulling away minutes later.

"Like where?"

"I have something to show you."

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Do you know what today is?" he asked.

"Not really," I frowned.

"Really?"

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"You don't even know your own birthday?" he asked, smirking at me.

I felt a smile take over my face, as Griffin grabbed my hand and we jumped. I felt a whirling sensation in my stomach and I closed my eyes momentarily. When I opened them again, I felt an even my smile widen even more.

We were on the same street that we went to the diner the other day, right in front of Da Vinci Tattoos.

"Birthday present, part one," Griffin said.

And then he began to drag me inside.

* * *

_P.S. I just realized that I accidentally mentioned it was Ella's birthday in another chapter. I would go back and change it but I'm too lazy, so...just disregard that please. :)_


	25. Chapter 25

_My keyboard is fixed! I still don't really know what happened, but oh well. Here's an update at last. And I'm sorry to say, the end is nearing. :(_

_

* * *

  
_

It was really clean in here. I felt strange as I sat in the shockingly white area, color coming from the millions of small pictures on the wall. I held my breath and tried to keep away the butterflies completely ravaging my stomach.

Griffin went to tell whoever was there that I wanted a tattoo while I thought about what I wanted. I didn't want it to be something I just got on a whim. I would have it forever, so it should mean something that I would want to hold onto my entire life.

I thought of many ideas in the past of what I wanted. Some were things that I knew I would probably grow out of- lyrics from a band I liked at the time, fancy stars, inspirational words. As I thought about it they became worse and worse ideas, and I scowled and traced my eyes over the wall of different pictures.

Butterflies, hearts, crosses, shamrocks. They were all nice, intertwining and brightly colored, or dark and bold, but they didn't hold significance to me.

I tried to think of _now_. My life was so different upon meeting Griffin, even more than it was different before. I was someone new now. Someone who wanted to balance a (semi)normal life but still do things out of the ordinary like kick some Paladin ass every once in a while.

I shook my head. Alright, actually, I was someone who, let's face it, would never have anything close to a (semi)normal life because it just wasn't possible for a teleporter who was trying not be killed. Someone who wished her boyfriend had a little more affection in him, but knew she liked him the way he was just the same. Someone who had never fought a single soul physically until this year, but had actually been looking for the courage to fight her battles her entire life...

"Barbie?"

I looked toward Griffin now, who was standing next to a man wearing a white T-shirt exposing his right arm which had a sleeve of tattoos.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what you want?"

I thought of everything that was just going through my mind, and smiled before I nodded once firmly.

"Yeah, I have the perfect thing."

* * *

We were in New York now. Griffin knew it was my favorite city, so we braved the cold to go get lunch. I felt extremely full after having my chicken sandwich and walked slowly down the street, with Griffin at my side.

The wind picked up and I adjusted my scarf, cursing the Winter weather, but slightly enjoying Griffin's scowl as his hair got messed up. I waited until he gave up on fixing it and turned to me with narrowed eyes, upon seeing my amusement. Instead of making a snide comment, he changed the subject.

"So what'd it feel like?" Griffin asked, moving my sleeve and looking down at my wrist which was now host to a white bandage.

I touched it lightly and grimaced.

"Kind of like someone trying to carve a turkey...but it was my wrist instead."

Griffin made a face.

"Hey, you wanted it."

"Yeah, it was quick at least," I said, nodding.

It had only taken about fifteen minutes for the actual tattoo, because it was pretty small. I watched the mans arm the entire time, looking at his own tattoos- some tribal designs, one a woman's name (Meredith), and a huge lion whose eyes stared at me the whole time. I wondered how long something like _that_ took.

"Thanks for getting it for me, even though, and I quote 'I don't have anything that I want fucking permanently on my body,'" I said with a small smile.

"Yeah _my _body. Yours is your own call."

"You have to look at it," I pointed out.

"Trust me, most of the time I'm not looking at your wrists," he said with a smirk.

I felt my stomach do a small flip but tried to mask my slight embarrassment by sticking my tongue out at him. He laughed, and to my very instant surprise, put an arm around my shoulders.

"Wow," I breathed.

I took a moment to memorize the feeling of the warmth emitting from him, and the weight that felt comfortable there even though it had never been like that before.

"What?" Griffin asked gruffly as we continued walking down the street.

"I wish it was my birthday every day," I said, not bothering to mask the slight awestruck look on my face.

"Why?" Griffin asked, confused.

"Because you're being _nice_."

I watched his expression turn somber, his arm falling from my shoulder. I immediately regretted saying anything. I should have known by now that Griffin didn't like being called on his...good qualities.

"You have one minute," he said.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at him in question.

"What?"

"One. Minute."

I caught his drift as he began advancing toward me and I smiled and turned in the other direction.

The wind was even colder as I ran from Griffin, my laughter echoing in the air. People cursed me as I ran by and nearly took a few of them down, but I could hear Griffin cursing right back at them and it seemed to balance everything out.

I could feel him gaining on me and looked around quickly- in front of me was a street with cars flying by, to the left of me was a street with cars flying by...so I turned into the alley to the left.

I realized now it was a bad choice when I felt two hands on my waist, and I turned around to Griffin.

He immediately pressed his lips to mine, and I breathed in sharply. I could feel Griffin smirk but I made it disappear as I pushed him against the wall, deepening our kiss. He moaned and moved his hands from my waist to my arms, switching our positions. Unfortunately, when he grabbed my arm, he managed to grab my wrist and I let out a sharp cry of pain.

Griffin and I broke apart and he looked at me, grabbing my wrist again, this time slightly above the bandage.

"Sorry."

I shook my head.

"It's fine," I said. "Just a little sore."

"Can I see it?" he asked, eyes roaming over the bandage as if he could see through it if he tried hard enough.

"They said not to take it off for a few hours-"

"We'll put it right back on."

I shrugged, guessing it would be okay.

"Fine."

I began to peel away the tape and move the bandage, and turned my wrist over for Griffin to see.

"Animus?" he questioned.

I looked at the black script, still twinged red with newness, and nodded.

"Fancy girl's school. I had to take Latin."

"And it means?"

I looked at him, suddenly kind of shy. I kept my eyes on my wrist.

"Courage. I figured it was something good to hold onto."

It was silent for a moment. I breathed lightly and looked up at him, wanting to see his expression. He was looking at me, as it he were studying me. Then suddenly, he let go of my wrist and nodded.

"I like it."

I nodded and smiled, and suddenly he was grabbing my hand again, this time walking down the alley and jumping. I shut my eyes and let my stomach settle before opening them and seeing we were in another city. I wasn't sure which one.

"What are we doing here?"

"Part two."

I had to jog to keep up with him, looking around at the surroundings, but still unsure of where we were.

"Part two?"

"The tattoo was just the beginning, Barbie."

I smiled, continuing to trail behind him.

"Did I mention I _loved_ my birthday?"

* * *

_I'm not really well versed in Latin....at all, so I'm not sure if my translation is correct. If it's not, blame it on the Internet. ;)_


	26. Chapter 26

I wondered why Griffin was in such a rush. I hurried behind him, nearly jogging, as he dodged people on the sidewalk. I wasn't really sure where we were, but I couldn't find any hints of where we were going from Griffin's quick strides.

I continued to run behind Griffin, following his black jacket with my eyes so I wouldn't lose him and be alone in a city I didn't know.

After a few more seconds, he looked back and saw that I was lagging behind him. He slowed down a bit, and he gestured with his hand to move quicker.

"What's the hurry, sunshine?" I puffed, smiling slightly at him.

He shrugged and allowed me to reach his pace.

"You haven't called me that in a while."

I shrugged myself this time and took the opportunity to link onto his arm so he wouldn't start going quickly again.

"You still call me Barbie all the time," I pointed out.

"You'll always be Barbie."

"I'm going to dye my hair black," I mumbled.

He chuckled. We didn't speak much after that, but just walked as I let Griffin lead me wherever we were going. But our conversation had me thinking of when he first called me Barbie. And when we first met. And what a jerk he used to be. (Not that he's entirely better...but I'm working on it.) I let my mind drift back to when I first started to talk to him.

_The sand was whipping behind me from my frantic movements. I tried not to close my eyes for fear of the burned image imprinted on my lids. I felt my hair flying and the wind passing me, but I still couldn't seem to get a proper breath of air._

_I was jumping all over the place without really knowing what I was doing. I transported from a huge rock to another one, from a cactus to a small bush, from the end of one dune to another._

_I collapsed after a few minutes, or hours, it was hard to tell which. I felt my stomach calm down a bit, but my hands were still shaking furiously. My mind was buzzing, but the thoughts were somehow more logical as I wiped my trembling fingers on my pants._

_There was only one thing to do now._

_I jumped again, but this time, it was on purpose._

_Griffin's face was just how I'd imagined, with some mingled surprise, but mostly anger._

_"Why are you back here?" he demanded, but I was in no mood for his attitude again._

_"You're going to teach me how to fight them. And __kill__ them." I said strongly, my chin held in the air as I stared right into his eyes. "And I won't take no for an answer."_

_"What makes you think I owe you something?" were the first words out of Griffin's mouth._

_"You don't." I insisted. "But if you say no, I'll just come back tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And the next day. And the-"_

_"Alright, alright! I'll teach you." He grumbled, cutting me off forcefully._

_I allowed a satisfied, but somewhat bitter smile to spread across my face._

_"That's all I ask."_

_"As soon as I'm done, you're out of here. No coming back." He demanded._

Obviously Griffin hadn't followed through on the last part. I smiled as I thought about it. If only I'd known at the time that the scowling jerk would become the one who drove me crazy in the best sort of way.

I slid my arm from his and instead reached my hand down to intertwine our fingers. He complied with me, letting me squeeze his hand slightly as we walked a few more minutes.

As we continued to walk, the crowds began to thin and the traffic flowed considerably smoother. I looked around again, soaking in the tall office buildings and concrete everywhere, knowing we could be in almost any city any where. Griffin suddenly stopped walking and I was jerked backward slightly, looking at him in confusion.

"Close your eyes," he demanded.

I made a face at him, pleading with my eyes.

"Do I have to?"

"I'll throw you over my shoulder if I have to," he threatened.

I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling Griffin's hand on my lower back. I shivered, even though it wasn't as cold here as New York was. He chuckled and pushed me forward. I walked cautiously, taking tentative steps.

"You can go quicker, I'm not going to lead you into traffic," Griffin said sarcastically.

"That would be a horrible birthday present," I hissed, not liking the fact that I couldn't see where I was going. "How much farther?"

"A bit," he responded, "Take a step downward, there's a street."

I made huge footsteps, inching forward with his help.

"I feel stupid. Is anyone looking at me?"

"Since when do you care what people think about you?"

I pondered this for a moment, eventually nodding.

"That's true. Pretty much never."

"Step up now."

I did as he said, and took a few more steps forward before Griffin spoke again.

"Okay, stop now, but don't open your eyes yet."

I sighed again.

"C'mon Griffy," I whined.

He growled lightly and I chuckled, still not opening my eyes.

Before I had a chance to ask another question, I felt the world moving from underneath my feet. I let out a squeal before I realized two arms were holding me.

"Relax. I just don't trust you not falling where I'm taking you."

Extremely curious, I had to force myself not to peek as Griffin carried me.

"You know, I like this service. You should definitely carry me around to more places," I commented.

"It's not too much fun for my side," Griffin commented gruffly.

I pouted, which probably looked interesting because I didn't even have my eyes opened, but Griffin cut me off anyway.

"Here we go."

I felt myself being lowered down and prepared to put my feet out but realized Griffin was placing me down to sit. I felt a chair, or something, underneath me and waited eagerly to see where I was.

"Okay, open your eyes."

My eyelids immediately flew open, and the first thing I saw was a steering wheel.

"A car!?"

I gasped and reached out, fingering the cool wheel. I looked around, seeing black leather interior, and looked over the side of my convertible...yes, convertible. It was bright red, shining in the sun as I continued to look excitedly around, catching a glimpse of my smile and Griffin's smug look in the rearview mirror.

"You got me a car?" I asked again, looking at Griffin with wide eyes.

"Everyone needs a good car," he told me.

I smiled and continued to look through everything, opening the glove compartment, adjusting the mirrors, running my fingers over the buttons on the radio. Griffin continued to watch me become acquainted with everything.

"You like it?" he finally asked.

"Of course! How could I not? It's amazing," I gushed, knowing that Griffin probably hadn't given a gift in a while, and wanting to make sure he knew I liked it.

"Good," Griffin grunted.

"There's just one small problem," I said with a sheepish grin.

"What?" Griffin asked quickly.

"I sort of can't drive?"

Griffin's jaw dropped. He looked at me incredulously, as if I just told him I'd never seen a human being before.

"What kind of nineteen year old can't drive?" he asked with wide eyes.

"The cool kind?" I responded.

"So what was the use of getting you a car?" he asked, seemingly to himself.

"You're going to teach me to drive," I said, smiling.

"What makes you think I'd want to?" he asked harshly, but I knew his eyes were twinkling with amusement.

"If you don't, I'll just ask you today. And the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and-"

"Alright, alright! I'll teach you," he said in surrender.

I smiled, thinking back to the memory I had vividly recalled earlier.

"That's all I ask."

Griffin, as if reading my mind, nodded.

"As soon as I'm done, you're out of here," Griffin said, echoing my thoughts.

I smiled.

"No way," I said, leaning over the side of the car and pulling him closer.

"No way," he echoed softly, and I pressed my lips against his.

* * *

**THE END :)**

I absolutely loved writing this story, so I hope you all liked reading it. 3


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